


chemtrails

by vhscassette



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Alcohol, M/M, Pre-Dragon Ball Z, Sexual Humor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-27
Updated: 2019-03-31
Packaged: 2019-05-14 06:33:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 28,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14764460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vhscassette/pseuds/vhscassette
Summary: Tien finds that the world he dreamed of had disappeared.





	1. desert dunes

The sunset burned red in the distance, the red light pooling across Tien and Yamcha's bodies as Yamcha's hovercycle sped across the hot desert sand. The desert heat was starting to cool down, but the dry, dusty air made Tien's three eyes squint as he continued to clutch at Yamcha's clothing. Yamcha, raising the speed of his cycle faster than even they could normally run, loudly hollered with a smile as they rose and flew over a hill, splashing into the sand at the bottom as they continued. Tien's heart jumped as he yelped and nearly failed keeping onto the cycle.

 

"Do you even know how to drive?! Or are you simply that damn incompetent?!" Tien yelled breathlessly over the loud motor, Yamcha giggling all the way through.

 

"C'mon, Shinhan!" Yamcha yelled back, his long, black hair narrowly whipping into Tien's face, "You gotta have fun every once in a while! There's nothin' like ridin' this baby on a gorgeous night like tonight!" Tien rolled his eyes, face red from either the heat or his own strange embarrassment, and looked ahead to the sunset once more. The sky was hazed with all shades of red, oranges, and purples as the disk of the sun vividly glared a beautiful crimson. His heartbeat began to slow as the desert evened out, the cycle speeding to a fast and gentle glide.

 

Tien felt how strange it was, holding Yamcha's waist like this.

 

Quietly, he leaned forward and slowly began viewing the sunset, his head near resting on Yamcha's shoulder as he did so. Even if Yamcha was the biggest moron he ever met, he certainly did have an eye for beauty.

 

"D'you ever miss living out here?" Tien said, close enough to Yamcha's ear that he could feel his black strands of hair fluttering back in his face. Yamcha didn't respond for a moment.

 

"Eh, sometimes," Yamcha said, "I mean, the desert will always be my birth home. On the other hand, though, I guess you guys will always be my home-home. Does that make sense?" Tien quietly felt a burn spread across his face. Yamcha felt like Tien was a part, not the whole, but a part of his home, his pure comfort. Tien couldn't help but feel his heart pound a little quicker. The engine continued to roar across the sands as Tien thought over his response.

 

"Yes. I completely understand," Tied said, once again noticing how his hands were wrapped around Yamcha's waist. Tien realized something about his friend that he never was quite able to put a finger on before. Yamcha, in essence, was a desert. A red, red, warm, laughing mess of a desert. It was a mess that Tien couldn't help but feel attracted to, a genuinely pure sense of connection that Tien never really had in his life.

 

Tien held onto him a little more.

 

* * *

 

 

Yamcha stretched as Tien woozily took a step off the hovercycle. He never could get used to those damned things.

 

"Alrighty, now here's the fun part!" Yamcha said with a devilish smirk, moving towards a small cooler he strapped to the side of his cycle. Tien, unaware the cooler was strapped from the start, was a bit startled by this.

 

"What d'you got, Yamcha..?" Tien questioned, hoping it wasn't quite what he thought it was. Alcohol alone with his crush in the middle of an isolated desert sounded like a situation that would spiral way out of control. Good or bad, still out of control. Yamcha responded by pulling out a glass bottle of presumably shitty beer he got with some shitty fake ID from an equally shitty gas station.

 

God damn it, Yamcha.

 

Tien sighed as he sat and laid against the parked cycle, ready to accept his sober defeat and see the stars above him. The sunset was nearly over, the sky nearly becoming a soft, dark purple. Stars poked through, and even now it still managed to awe Tien. Yamcha walked over, barefoot with his pants rolled up to the knees, and smiled to Tien as he sipped out of an opened bottle of beer. He handed another one to Tien, grinning smugly as if to say 'you're not getting outta this one, bud.' Tien rolled his eyes, took the bottle, and sipped.

 

As expected, it tasted like shit. It was from Yamcha, however, so Tien accepted the shitty amber liquid gift.

 

"So," Yamcha started as he sat down beside Tien, taking a long gulp of alcohol amidst the slowly cooling desert sunset, "how're you feelin'?" Tien glanced at him, the faintest of light glimmering across Yamcha's hair and eyes, and stared forward at the near-entirely dimmed sunset once more.

 

"Eh, alright. Stuck with an alcoholic moron, but I guess it could be worse," Tien shrugged, taking another sip as he avoided smirking. Yamcha gasped in fake offense.

 

"Well, fuck you too, then. Ridin' you all the way out here to Fuck-Shit Desert, and this is the thanks I get?" Yamcha complained quietly, holding one arm behind his head.

 

".. You _rode_ me all the way out here to 'Fuck-Shit Desert?'" Tien said, eyes squinted as he began to grin, wildly amazed at Yamcha's stupidity. Yamcha glanced back at him with confusion as he sipped.

 

"..Yeah! I took you along with me, I rode you out here," Yamcha explained further, eyebrows furrowed.

 

"Oh my fucking- dude, it sounds like you're saying you _rode_ me. Like, hats off, pants down, _rode_ me all the way out here," Tien chuckled, still horrifically amazed at how awful Yamcha's statement sounded. Yamcha's face flushed and suddenly the pieces clicked.

 

"Oh, my actual Christ. Fucking fuck, Tien," Yamcha said with a smile as he began to giggle loudly. "That's definitely not what I meant this time around. Jesus, how about this?" he joked as he cleared his throat. "I, the ever-so-lovely Yamcha," he began with a dramatic fancy voice, "took this horribly rude shithead out to the desert **_on my sand-cycle_ ** in a completely _platonic_ and _friendly_ manner. Happy now, grammar-boy?" Tien couldn't help but laugh. What the fuck was wrong with Yamcha and how did Tien find it so damned amusing?

 

"Much better," Tien chuckled, sipping another drink of beer. "Ugh," Tien groaned, "how the hell can you stand this stuff?" Neither Tien nor Chiaotzu ever had a taste of soda let alone alcohol before they left Crane School; nowadays, they just find the taste of a lot of things in the alcohol category generally appalling.

 

"Easy," Yamcha said casually, "become an alcoholic like me and everything tends to work out." Tien rolled his eyes and sat his bottle firmly in the sand a foot away from him, lid side up.

 

The two fell into a comfortable silence and began watching more stars begin to peak out from the darkening sheet of the sky. The temperature dropped, crickets audibly chirping throughout where they were laying. Wind lightly blew across the desert, causing Tien to regret not bringing a plain t-shirt or something. He didn't quite realize the desert could get this chilly at night.

 

Yamcha noticed this and casually leaned into him a bit before scooching completely beside him. "Don't worry buddy," Yamcha said with a grin on his face, "I got you, I got you. No cold baldies here tonight; Krillin's not around to match the set." Tien, finding Yamcha quite pleasurably warm, wanted to push him away in annoyance but found that this was.. quite comfortable. Leaning back over to his beer glass to take a quick sip, Tien leaned back into Yamcha and felt strangely small.

 

"The night's really pretty out here," Tien mumbled, Yamcha fondly smiling as he began to lean on Tien's shoulder.

 

"Yeah. One of the few things I miss out here; nothin' but stars and galaxies in every direction," Yamcha said almost dreamily. Tien could relate a tad, remembering when he was younger and constantly staring at the night stars when he felt lonely. At times, seeing so many stars 'happy with each other' had made a young, weaker Tien feel even more lonely. However, watching the stars with Yamcha laying against him made everything feel a bit more.. safe.

 

A bit more like home.

 

"Y'know what else I miss about the desert, Tien?" Yamcha mumbled with a smile, Tien nearly avoiding a slight shiver at how gentle yet honest Yamcha's voice was. Good lord, how did he do that?

 

"What do you miss?" Tien responded, eyes not leaving the stars.

 

"Gettin' away with stealin' shit," Yamcha said with a slight snort. Tien groaned before he began chuckling himself.

 

"Of course it'd be somethin' you'd miss, you crook," Tien smiled teasingly before slightly, slightly putting an arm around Yamcha and pulling him closer. It was cold out here, damn it, and Yamcha was warm. At least, that's sort of the excuse Tien had. Regardless, Yamcha didn't seem to pay any mind to it.

 

"Well, when you're blastin' one-twenty down the desert dunes with a bag fulla' money and your shapeshifting cat-friend, how couldj' _not_ miss it?" Yamcha humorously reasoned, shrugging slightly in Tien's arms before leaning back into him. Tien shook his head with an amused smirk.

 

"Well, shit, Yamcha, you got me there," Tien sarcastically agreed, noticing a shooting star spark across the sky yet saying nothing. The two fell into another comfortable, wonderful silence as Tien tried not to focus too hard on how calmly Yamcha breathed and how soothing it was to have him near.

 

The night sky began shimmering more vibrantly with stars and galaxies, Tien finding it hard not focusing on every beautiful detail of the white splatters above. He knew they were millions of light years away, and yet somehow Tien thanked every god that was able to see them this way. He thanked every god for being able to see the stars while leaned against Yamcha's motorcycle, alcohol burning in their systems, entirely safe and sound with no one but themselves around.

 

"I am glad I got out of here, though," Yamcha admitted quietly, startling Tien slightly.

 

"Why's that?" Tien softly asked, a bit genuine in his questioning. Yamcha was surely a rather powerful thief as it was; Tien couldn't've been quite sure Yamcha would've been stoppable as the world's most cunning thief if given a lifetime to hone his skills. Regardless, though, he was still pretty damned good at stealing, hearts or otherwise.

 

"Found people I love," Yamcha responded, Tien's heart squeezing in his chest. He had to mentally struggle to avoid pulling Yamcha tighter against him, even though his mind and chest were aching to do so.

 

"Me too, Yamcha," Tien quietly mumbled after a few moments of silence, "me too."

 

The silence continued to grow, Tien's chest and lips aching for something beyond anything the world ever had to offer him before. 

 

Warm, rough fingers lightly touched Tien's face as Yamcha gently pulled Tien to face him.

 

It looks like Yamcha felt it, too.

 

Tien's breath immediately lost itself in this, his cheeks beginning to prickle with heat. Yamcha looked extremely vulnerable, as if he was about to give Tien himself the whole of his life. Yamcha leaned forward silently, vulnerability still vivid in his gaze.

 

Tien, wordlessly and slowly leaning forward, slid a trembling hand around to Yamcha's back as he pulled him close, gently kissing him. Yamcha's face was warm, and Tien found his chest fluttering and steadying at the same time. Yamcha's hands found Tien's shoulders as he slowly moved into Tien's embrace, Tien nearly having to avoid shivering at even _that_ bit of contact.

 

Yamcha pulled away lightly, Tien still holding him close. His face, long black hair spilling slightly over his half lidded eyes, made Tien want to pull him back, hug him tight, and never let go. That, or kiss him until sunrise, one of the two.

 

"Tien?" Yamcha whispered quietly, only mere inches away from Tien's lips.

 

"Mhm?"

 

"You look really nice," Yamcha quietly mumbled, Tien able to tell Yamcha had a lot to say about what just occurred but unable to really express it. Tien chuckled very softly, a low, gentle rumble, before pulling him in for another hesitant kiss. This one was more familiar, a bit closer than their first, and Tien found one hand lightly stroking Yamcha's hair. His hair was so soft.

 

"You always look wonderful," Tien softly whispered between a kiss, causing Yamcha to shiver lightly.

 

They continued to kiss for well into a good three minutes, well wanting to express their now-reciprocated feelings, when Yamcha's suddenly stiffened in shock and pulled away in surprise. Tien blinked, hoping to _god_ that this all just wasn't the alcohol talking.

 

"I forgot," Yamcha blurted out, face red, hair awry as he tried connecting his thoughts back together. Tien paused waiting for an explanation that never came out.

 

"Forgot what, Yamcha..?" Tien quietly questioned with a bit of anxiety in his voice, praying that this wasn't a mistake.

 

"Forgot to tell Puar where I went," Yamcha blinked, eyebrows up.

 

Silence.

 

Tien, as always when it came to Yamcha, chuckled at his infinite stupidity.

 

God _damn_ it, Yamcha.

 

* * *

 

 

They quickly took the cycle back home, Tien finding himself loudly hollering with Yamcha as they sped over the large dunes. Damn, this really was fun.

 

"Yamcha!" Tien cried out happily, trying to be louder than the wind and engine that blared around them.

 

"Yeah?!" Yamcha yelled back.

 

"I think I really like you!" Tien loudly said, ninety-nine percent positive he wouldn't say this if he was entirely sober. Luckily, Yamcha giggled back in the dopey way he would when he was utterly happy.

 

"I really like you too, Tien! I like you a lot!" Yamcha yelled into the desert, less to Tien and more to the whole world as if to say, 'he's mine, world!'

 

Tien felt emotional enough to cry, this experience one of the few in his life where he felt entirely _alive_. He giggled and clutched onto Yamcha harder, trying hard not to fly off the back of the cycle as they sped over another sandhill.

 

"Whoopee!" Yamcha cried, Tien's laughter echoing, as they sped off into the faint haze of city lights in the distance.


	2. sandy bedsheets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> with editing help from the lovely No1Fan15!

 

Tien woke up to the noise of Roshi hollering at the TV.  

 

'Well, good morning to you, too, Master,' he thought.

 

He yawned, stretched slightly, and sat up in his bed. He could smell someone cooking in the kitchen, probably eggs coming from a familiar hiss from the stove. Tien proceeded to roll out of bed, shirtless as usual with the bottom half of his training gi on, and padded out of his bedroom door.

 

"Rise 'nd shine, boys! We got some trainin' to do, and we're not gonna get anywhere with you lazy bones sleepin' in all day!" Master Roshi loudly announced throughout the house. The sweet smell of the sea began blurring throughout the house, and red drenched most of the objects in the house as the sun was just beginning to rise.

 

"Yes, Master," Tien said politely, moving to sit at the low table that was across the TV set. Roshi, who sat nearby, was very interested in some fitness program that a group of toned women were performing in. Of course he was.

 

"Good morning," a very sleepy sounding Goku said as he plopped his way into the living room. He flopped down beside Tien and stretched.

 

"Morning," Tien said with a tone of gentle politeness. Even now, he still found himself needing to adjust to how strange it felt to sit with his once-considered assassination target. Goku rested his head on the table, obviously still tired.

 

"When are we having breakfast?" Goku mumbled, picking up on the strong smell of food wafting in from the kitchen.

 

"Patience, Goku," Roshi chided gently, "the food'll be ready when it's ready."

 

"But Mas-ter!" Goku whined sleepily, kicking his feet much like a small child. Tien almost snorted in amusement.

 

"No 'buts', mister." Roshi said, "Now, take it easy. I won't ask again." Goku 'humph'd and frowned, his stomach audibly growling. What a hero.

 

The TV continued to play on, Tien finding it a nice little background noise to the endless waves of the sea and early morning breeze. He felt god damned great this morning, but why? Were there tiny remnants of last night's stars still dazzled in his vision? Did the love Tien felt still manage to burst through his chest and into the world around him? With a grin, Tien found that he wasn't quite sure, but _lord_ was it enough! The sunrise continued to blur through the house.

 

Tien was happy.

 

Krillin stumbled out of his room, eyes still bleary from being woken up. He yawned, stretched, and nearly tripped walking to the table where the group was seated.

 

"Mornin', everyone," Krillin's raspy voice said, yawning once more.

 

"Hi, Krillin." Goku sleepily responded, "How are you?" Krillin chuckled and held up his head on the table using his elbows.

 

"The same as always, Goku," Krillin sarcastically responded, almost as if he, too, was astounded by how much of a dork Goku could be. Goku was a loving dork, which everyone _did_ appreciate, but a dork regardless. Goku rubbed one of his eyes and sat up from the table.

 

"Good, that's good," Goku said, a little bit more energy in his voice now that he was given a few minutes to wake up. Roshi continued to oogle the girls on the TV with a perverted sort of look, a look that made Tien mixed between either feeling disgust or rolling his eyes. For a moment, Roshi noticed one person missing from the general morning commotion and focused on that.

 

"Oh, Yam-cha! Wake up, boy! Sleepin' in late is no way to develop your determination!" Roshi called out loudly into the house, startling both Goku and Krillin as they audibly squeaked.

 

"Jeesh, Master, can y'be any louder?" Krillin sarcastically asked, the sudden spike in his adrenaline obviously not faring well with his awakening. Roshi lowered his glasses with a serious look on his face.

 

"D'you wanna test me, boy? Because I can do it real easy," Roshi warned with a scold much akin to a rugged uncle or an impatient teacher. Krillin froze and quickly shook his head, definitely not wanting to challenge Roshi to shit. Roshi was as genuine with dares as he was with sexually harassing unsuspecting women; he'll do it whether you want him to or not. Roshi chuckled at Krillin's response and still patiently waited for Yamcha.

 

A commercial break came and went without any noise from Yamcha's room. It advertised some strange vacuum cleaner, Tien noticed, and apparently this vacuum even had a clunky looking dustpan/broom device attached to it. "Easy clean up in seconds!" the advertisement excitedly announced, Tien rolling his eyes. Regular humans must've had an.. interesting life to develop these kinds of things. But, on the other hand, they must've been through a lot, too. Tien wondered what it was like to be normal.

 

"Jesus, he's balls-deep asleep," Krillin commented as the commercial ended, obviously noting how long it was taking Yamcha to get moving. Tien felt a puddle of cold pool in his chest.

 

"Hey, Tien," Roshi said, eyes moving to and not leaving Yamcha's door, "couldja get our buddy out here? I don't want him missin' breakfast."

 

Tien caught Roshi's glance for a mere second and found they alone were standing at a horrifying, real possibility. Chiaotzu kept humming to himself as he flipped bacon on the stove.

 

After a long pause, Tien said emotionlessly, "Yes, Master."

 

He stood up and, trying not to make it seem like he was rushing, calmly walked to Yamcha's door. The cold pool in his stomach shifted once more like waves. He knocked gently on the door before quietly saying, "Yamcha? Wake up, we got breakfast hot."

 

No response. The TV played in the background, fitness program forgotten.

 

Tien knocked again. "Yamcha?" he said louder, not wanting to intrude but at the same time-

 

"Yamcha, c'mon out here. We got stuff to do, buddy-boy," Roshi said loudly once more, keeping a calm yet stern tone. Continuously no response. Tien's breathing rate increased painfully. Yamcha had problems with wanting to fight not an opponent and Tien understood. God, he understood. But Yamcha- the night before- they had-

 

"Why don'tcha open the door?" Goku said, voice innocent and confused as to why Tien was acting funny.

 

Tien's grip nearly slipped opening the door's metal doorknob.

 

"Yamcha?" Tien called out into the room, voice slightly intoned in fear. He found, however, that there wasn't anything to fear. In fact, there was _absolutely_ nothing to fear because Yamcha was entirely absent from the room.

 

Tien heard Roshi stand up and walk towards him, almost a bit too quick paced.

 

"Tien, what's going on?" Roshi said under his breath, becoming extremely concerned for his student. He walked close enough to see into the room and, upon his further confusion, stepped aside Tien to inspect the bedroom himself. "Well, I'll be," Roshi said loudly, seeming almost relieved.

 

"What happened?" Krillin said, voice slightly tinged with nervousness as he moved his body back to face Tien and Roshi.

 

"Yamcha booked it. He's not here," Roshi said casually as he checked the rumpled bed sheets, frowning a bit as he did so.

 

"He left? Why?" Goku questioned, now wide awake.

 

"No clue, Goku," Roshi commented, rather intrigued himself, "no clue at all. D'you know where he could be, Tien?"

 

Tien shook his head. "No, sir," he quietly responded. "When we came home last night, Yamcha went to bed. I heard him go to his room and everything and I didn't hear him move or anything during the night," Tien explained further. Roshi sighed.

 

"Peculiar, even for Yamcha," Roshi said, straightening his large glasses.

 

Tien didn't quite know whether to feel relieved or even more scared at the fact that Yamcha had simply disappeared. The confession they had last night, together against Yamcha's sandcycle, seemed so far away now. Now all that was left was some empty, sandy bedsheets and the smell of alcohol. Tien frowned and sighed.

 

"What now, Master?" Tien asked, feeling his head blur in hurt. Roshi looked out of Yamcha's bedroom window, closed and all, and sighed before rubbing his crinkled forehead.

 

"Well, how about we eat our breakfast, okay? I'm sure Yamcha's fine, maybe lookin' for chicks or somethin'. Give him time, he'll be back," Roshi said, attempting to comfort his students more than himself. Tien, regardless, had a bad feeling in his stomach.

 

* * *

 

They had trained slightly after breakfast with a morning swim, Goku obliviously and happily diving deep underwater to train his endurance. Krillin and Tien stretched on the beachside beforehand, the morning sun burning on their bare backs.

 

"What do ya' think happened to him?" Krillin asked Tien, arms stretched above his head. Tien frowned. This hurt.

 

"I don't know. Normally, he'd at least say _something_ before going off like that," Tien said, touching his toes as his stomach twisted slightly. While it was true that Yamcha was indeed a bit of a loose guy in regards to letting people know what's up, it wasn't every day that they had plans to train and he just ran off.

 

"Eh," Krillin said, trying to be reassuring in the 'guy-friend' way, "I'm sure he's alright. Yamcha's a strong dude and God help any moron that tries to get in his way." Tien chuckled, as Yamcha was _definitely_ a pretty cunning man when it came down to it. He's stolen wallets, social security numbers, _and_ hearts to boot; if _anyone_ was gonna be fine on their own, it'd be Yamcha.

 

"Yeah," Tien chuckled in amusement, "you're probably right."

 

"When am I _wrong_ , Tien? Everyone knows that the Krillster is the realest around," Krillin smugly joked, raising his eyebrows up and down like he told the shittiest, most blatant innuendo to some chick at a bar. Tien shook his head and laughed.

 

"'The Krillster' is certainly a new one. Where the hell did you get _that_ one from?" Tien smirked, sitting on the dry sand to stretch his legs and back. The sun certainly felt quite nice this morning. If only it was a little less humid, then it would be a perfect day.

 

"Your momma," Krillin said with a shit eating grin before bursting into dumb giggles.

 

"My mom's dead, Krillin," Tien said, glancing at Krillin deadpan with the most blank eyes he gives for dark humored jokes like these. His mom _was_ dead and all, but it was just funny seeing people's reactions. Krillin, following in line, paled and covered his mouth with his hands.

 

"Holy fuck, Tien!" Krillin said, flabbergasted, "Oh, oh god, dude, shit! I'm- I'm sorry!" Krillin broke into embarrassed laughter, apologizing frequently before Tien snorted and shook his head.

 

"I'm playin' with you, Baldy, I'm not offended. I just wanted to see how you'd act," Tien smugly replied, raising an eyebrow as if to say 'gotcha!' Krillin squinted and frowned dramatically.

 

"Low blow, Tien, both the 'Baldy' and the dead mom joke. Low blow," Krillin said, attempting to be deadpan amidst a smile threatening to break through his frown.

 

"You're a 'low-blow', short-ass," Tien muttered under his breath, pushing his now heavily smiling lips back into his mouth as he attempted not to laugh. That was absolutely, definitely the worst joke he's ever made. Krillin went bright red and went quiet, Tien trying very hard not to bust out laughing.

 

"Did you just make a dick joke about my fuckin' _height?_ " Krillin glared, Tien breaking into loud laughter. Yeah, that was bad. Really, really bad.

 

"Do you guys need more training? Not a lot of swimmin' I'm hearin'," Roshi called from inside the house, cleaning dirty breakfast dishes with Chiaotzu.

 

"No, sir!" Tien and Krillin called in unison before one last quick stretch and jumping into the water. Tien giggled, air bubbling through his mouth as he swam deep under.

 

'God,' Tien thought amidst a smirk, 'I'm obnoxious."

 

* * *

 

After lunch, Bulma had stopped by to shoot the breeze and see what was happening with training. Everyone seemed to enjoy the distraction Bulma provided from the one missing seat in the house until Bulma noticed it herself.

 

"Say," Bulma started, her wide blue eyes blinking, "Where's Yamcha?"

 

Tien and the others remained silent. The TV chattered on, some news channel spouting stuff that didn't really pertain to their lives. Tien felt worry knot up once more in his stomach. Krillin glanced at Goku before glancing to Roshi, uncomfortableness visible on everyone's face. Bulma stiffened before giggling nervously, shifting as she laid her hands against the table she sat under.

 

"C'mon, guys! Where is he? He isn't dead, is he?" Bulma said, her voice a bit shaky.

 

"No," Roshi said calmly, needing to handle the situation without incident, "he's not dead, but he's.. missing."

 

"Missing?" Bulma said astounded before continuing, "He ran off or something?! When did this happen?" Goku's eyes furrowed in sadness as he frowned before laying his head on the table.

 

"Last night," Roshi said, "after Tien and Yamcha came home from hangin' around in the desert." Roshi then gestured to Tien slightly. "Tien said that they came back together 'n all, but this morning his bedroom was empty and his window closed," Roshi said with a serious tone. Tien felt guilt pool in his stomach.

 

'I should have checked on him more,' Tien thought guiltily to himself.

 

Bulma anxiously tapped her manicured fingernails on the table with a hollow clicking sound.

 

"... Are we gonna look for him?" Bulma questioned worriedly, Tien wondering if Bulma felt the same deepness that he did. It nearly made him chuckle in sadness; Yamcha left not only one, but _two_ of his damned stolen-hearted friends without a trace.

 

"Now, come on," Roshi said, attempting to be a voice of reason, "Yamcha's probably perfectly fine. We're blowing this way out of proportion for what it might be worth. Let's give it a few days, and if he doesn't come back, we'll all take a lookin' for him. Sound good?"

 

Everyone nodded in agreement, determined to protect and help find their friend. Tien noticed Chiaotzu, head turned, watching the TV in the corner of his vision.

 

"What's going on?" Tien asked Chiaotzu via their shared telepathy bond. Chiaotzu seemed distracted but shook his head and looked back at his friends.

 

"Nothin'," Chiaotzu mentally said before smiling at Tien. Reassuring gently, Chiaotzu added, "We'll find him, okay? Don't you worry." Tien couldn't help but smile back.

 

"I sure hope so," Tien replied mentally, staring at his folded hands as he looked down from where he sat.

 

He really did hope Yamcha was okay, wherever he was.

 

* * *

 

Yamcha didn't come home that day.

 

Everyone had said their goodnights as the day dwindled down to nighttime, the stars poking through the sky like needles and velvet. The ocean quietly lapped away at the shore as Tien got himself in bed, ready to sleep. However, he found that Yamcha's silhouette was still in the back of his mind.

 

Tien, in his usual 'pajama' attire that consisted of a pair of black boxer shorts and nothing else, crawled into bed and pulled the blankets up towards his chest. Blankets and mattresses were still definitely new to him but more than welcomed. Most of the time back under Crane School style training, they had to sleep on either wood flooring or the cold, hard ground. This was infinitely better. Tien still found himself wishing he could sleep in Yamcha's arms instead. He rolled his eyes and sighed, rolling over to where he faced the darkness instead of the moonlight that showed through his window. This was not the time for those kinds of thoughts.

 

"We'll find Yamcha," Tien hoped into the void as he drifted off into a light, weak sleep, "and we'll see the desert again. I promise."


	3. tv static

 

Tien awakened the next day to a stifling and humid morning. He blinked, feeling a light sheen of sweat on the back of his neck, and sighed at the upcoming day ahead. It wasn't that he couldn't deal with cruddy weather, but nevertheless, it didn't make it any less enjoyable.

 

Tien sat up and rubbed his eyes with the palm of his hand. Eyes trailing to his seaside window, he found that the sun was just rising. Light from the opposite side of the house glimmered on the ocean's waves. He breathed in, exhaled, and looked at his scarred hands as he continued to sit up in bed. Roshi was quiet this morning, not hooting and hollering at some half-naked women on the A.M fitness programs. Tien chuckled quietly with a bitter kind of knowing. He moved out of bed, his callused feet padding on the floor, to put some clothes on.

 

When Tien left his room, he smelled the distinct scent of black coffee brewing in the kitchen's coffee machine.

 

"Good morning, Master," Tien said, his voice firm and calm even though the humidity of the morning could drown a fish.

 

"Good mornin', Tien. Care for a cup?" Roshi said as he worked the coffee machine, the sleepiness in his voice not going unnoticed by Tien.

 

Tien nodded and politely said, "Yes, please." Roshi made a hum of approval before taking out two mugs from a cabinet above him, both mugs definitely worn from years of use. Tien quietly moved and slowly stood beside him as Roshi poured himself and Tien a cup.

 

"It's gonna be a scorcher, don'tcha think?" Roshi commented, handing Tien a cup in companionship. Tien nodded, lightly smelling the drink. It was an interesting thing, being able to have coffee nowadays. Under Crane School's training, coffee was a rare commodity for students to have. He remembered Tao, as praise for being one of the best students, letting him have a cup of pure black coffee for the first time. The taste absolutely disgusted Tien but, having Tao's eyes on him, drank the whole cup with his face emotionless as stone. Nowadays, he still disliked coffee but found it more tolerable with some sugar and cream.

 

"Sure is, sir," Tien said, moving to get some packets of sugar from a cabinet near the mugs. Roshi moved past him to get creamer from the fridge before gently placing it near Tien's drink. Tien, surprised by this small act of kindness, blinked at Master Roshi. "Thank you, Master," Tien said, tiny prickles of thankfulness spreading in his chest.

 

"Don't thank me yet, buddy. Not yet," Roshi said, staring at Tien for a few moments before moving away, adjusting his glasses and moving to the living room.

 

Tien, for not the first time in his life, felt a strange sense of speechlessness.

 

* * *

 

"Chiaotzu!" Tien yelled, rushing into Kame House. Sweat dripped down his face and body, exhaustion tearing out through his limbs, but god _damn_ it he was scared. All he remembered was Krillin and Goku rushing in with Chiaotzu's limp body, loudly yelling for Master Roshi.

 

"I'm okay, Tien," Chiaotzu weakly smiled on the couch, damp washcloth covering his forehead, "I promise." Krillin was in the kitchen quickly getting more towels wet before moving back to the couch, gently rubbing the towels on Chiaotzu's sweaty, ashen skin.

 

"What happened?" Tien asked protectively, balling his fists tightly in fear.

 

"Chiaotzu had blacked out from heat exhaustion during training and had fallen straight into the seaside," Goku said, frowning as Roshi and him were looking in medical guides for what to do for overheating. Continuing, catching Tien's glance, Goku said, "Krillin was a bit worried that Chiaotzu had drowned, but Chiaotzu's okay."

 

"I'm good, Tien, really! Don't worry about me," Chiaotzu added, shakily waving a hand at him before smiling.

 

"I can't help but worry about you, Chiaotzu," Tien said with worry, eyebrows furrowed as he went to his knees by the low, red couch. 'You're the only one I have left,' Tien thought to himself with a fleeting feeling of loneliness. Chiaotzu just sadly smiled as if thinking the same thing.

 

"Thank you, Tien. I'm glad you care. I just need a few minutes, okay?" Chiaotzu said gently, his soft, sickly eyes half lidded in dizziness. Tien, albeit hesitantly, took a breath through his nose and nodded with an affirmative grunt. Eyes still not leaving Chiaotzu, Tien stood up and sighed before glancing away and moving to the kitchen.

 

"Well, damn it, I think we've done all we could for the little guy," Master Roshi said, Goku peering over his shoulder. Roshi continued flipping back and forth between two pages in the medical guide he was looking at. Krillin was wiping his sweaty forehead as he walked away from Chiaotzu towards the sink, sighing and obviously shaken up from the incident.

 

"Scared me half to death," Krillin admitted tiredly, "but I sure hope we did okay. Jesus." Tien nodded and leaned against one of the kitchen counters, panic and adrenaline still flowing through his veins. The top of his skin still tingled cold with fear, and it was a feeling Tien hoped never to feel again in his life. Chiaotzu slowly levitated from the couch, body trembling yet still succeeding in raising his body.

 

"Tadah!" Chiaotzu said, voice trembling as he palely smiled. Tien immediately froze up and rushed to him before quietly scolding him for using his energy. Tien heard Roshi chuckle at him and it made his scowl spread just the littlest bit further. He didn't want Chiaotzu to hurt himself, damn it.

 

* * *

 

The training for that day stopped after Chiaotzu's incident, Roshi stating that 'death and drowning _definitely_ isn't a part of training.' Tien felt a little thankful that he didn't continue the session, particularly because he didn't really wanna leave Chiaotzu's side for the rest of the day.

 

"Good," Krillin said tiredly, leaning into the red seats behind him while fanning himself with his hand, "it's hotter than all hell out here. I don't even _need_ to go for a swim in this heat with how much I'm sweatin'." Goku seemed to listen in for a moment, not getting the joke, before suddenly bursting into laughter.

 

"Hee-hee, I get it! You're already wet, so you don't need to swim! You're good at those jokes, Krillin!" Goku exclaimed with a smile, wiping his forehead with a rag as he walked around the kitchen. Tien sighed; with how many rags they've used today, they'd have to use up the laundry machine a few times to clean them all up. Krillin glanced back at Goku, eyebrows raised in tired amusement before smirking.

 

"Congratulations, Goku. You've picked up on my sense of humor once again," Krillin smirked as he rolled his eyes. Tien found himself agreeing and shook his head with a chuckle. Goku was certainly an interesting person, that was for sure. Chiaotzu, laying on Tien's lap, giggled to himself as Tien laid back further into the red sofa seats. The afternoon sun spilled light into Kame House, Tien being able to see white, puffy clouds floating lazily in the sky through the windows. The TV quietly droned on in the corner, something about a recent forest fire in the East District.

 

"East District? That's where me and Grandpa Gohan lived," Goku said quietly from the kitchen, expression melancholic as he heard the news himself. The TV showed burnt up forest paths and charred remains of once-lush and emerald groves.

 

"It's never is fun to hear about bad stuff happenin' where you used to live. Sorry 'bout that, kiddo," Roshi commented from the kitchen sink, washing plates with a resounding 'clank'.

 

"Don't worry, Goku," Krillin said reassuringly, "I'm sure everything will grow back soon enough." Goku nodded and quietly moved to sit next to Krillin and Tien against the red seats.

 

"'Sure hope so. Those poor animals," Goku mumbled with disappointment.

 

"A-h, come on, Goku! Everything'll be fi-ne. Don't worry so much!" Krillin exclaimed with a reassuring smile, putting an arm around his friend and pushing him around slightly.

 

"Hey!" Goku giggled, trying to shove him away, "Stop teasin' me!" Krillin proceeded to laugh louder and push him around a bit more. They began bickering playfully, Chiaotzu smiling at the two of them.

 

"They're funny," Chiaotzu commented mentally to Tien, grinning all the while.

 

Tien chuckled and responded, " _These_ are the people who managed to kick our asses back then?"

 

"I know. Kinda weird how people can, y'know.. not have to be mean to win competitions," Chiaotzu said, silently watching Krillin put Goku in a headlock as Goku laughed and squirmed.

 

Tien smiled.

 

* * *

 

Dinner that night was white rice and instant beef ramen cups. No one really wanted to cook anything in the near-nighttime heat, so nobody complained when Roshi brought out the good ol' instant foods.

 

"Let's eat!" Goku said happily before tearing into his food without much of a second thought. Tien and Krillin glanced at each other, raising an eyebrow before muttering a polite 'let's eat' and digging into their food themselves. Chiaotzu, still a little dazed from his heat exhaustion earlier, lightly nibbled at his white rice.

 

"Good job training today, boys," Roshi said amidst slurps of instant ramen, "you really showed off that resilience that you've been gatherin' the past few weeks!"

 

"Thank you, sir," the students replied, thankful that Roshi didn't continue to train them in the heat. Even now, Tien found it annoyingly warm throughout the house.

 

'God knows how I'll sleep tonight,' Tien thought during a bite of rice.

 

"I got some bad news for all of 'ya, though," Roshi started, his facial expression now turning serious. Roshi continued, "I told all of y'all that we'd go lookin' for Yamcha if he hadn't shown up in a few days, and now's the end of the second day."

 

Krillin looked uneasy, and Goku paused his rapturous eating as he realized where the conversation was going.

 

Tien noticed the empty seat between Krillin and Roshi, and sadness built like crystals in his chest.

 

"We," Roshi started, "are going to take a break for a few days to go look for him. If we can't find him, then we'll see Bulma and ask her for help. If _that_ doesn't work, well.."

 

"Well, what?" Krillin asked, almost stunned at the idea of Yamcha going missing off the face of the Earth.

 

"We'll look for the Dragon Balls and see if he got himself killed somewhere," Roshi said, adjusting his glasses with a serious and quiet tone. Tien's stomach dropped and twisted in agony.

 

"Killed?" Goku said nervously. "Why would he have gotten himself killed..? He's really, really strong," he trailed off, staring dejectedly into his near entirely eaten bowl of rice. Roshi caught Tien's glance.

 

"Who knows," Roshi said, eyes not breaking Tien's glance, "but we should at least find out anyway."

 

Tien gulped hard and nodded, trying to avoid the tears threatening to loom over his eyes. "Let's do it," Tien said, determined.

 

Roshi nodded very quietly, almost as if communicating to Tien and Tien alone with his silent message. Roshi began scooping more rice into his mouth, pouring some soy sauce into it and stirring.

 

"We'll leave at around seven in the morning and check out around the normal places he goes by. Doesn't he check out that bar at West City sometimes, Tien?" Roshi questioned, glancing back up at Tien. Tien, appetite somewhat lost, nodded before chewing and swallowing some instant noodles.

 

"Yeah," Tien said, wiping his mouth with his forearm, "Yamcha tended to hang around West City's lounges because of the entertainment there. He liked hangin' around out there and at Diablo Desert."

 

"Well," Roshi stated, "there we have it. Tomorrow, we'll go check out West City's bars and see if they've seen him." Krillin and Goku nodded affirmatively before slowly continuing to eat.

 

Tien's mind stumbled with thoughts. What if they haven't seen Yamcha around? Really, what would they do even if the bars _have_ seen him? It's not like Yamcha couldn't just take his happy ass to wherever he'd wanna go. Tien's eyebrows furrowed in worry, hoping to God that this wasn't just all for nothing.

 

* * *

 

Dinner was over and bedtime had long been called, but Tien couldn't feel tired. He laid in front of the TV, watching static aimlessly with the volume at zero. He felt cold, even though the nighttime summer heat had still made the air around him humid. He sighed, wishing that the aching in his chest could leave with the breaths he exhaled. It didn't.

 

"Tien," Roshi quietly said as he walked into the living room. Tien jumped and leaped to his feat, suddenly hit with the horrifying realization of punishment.

 

"Sir," Tien rushed, panicked, "I'm sorry. I'll go to bed right this instant. I apologize, sir." He then bowed deeply in shame before Roshi interrupted it.

 

"Tien, relax. Take a seat. You're not in trouble, I just.. wanted to talk about somethin' with you," Roshi said calmly, not quite sure why Tien was flipping his shit. Tien, taking a moment to calm himself down, shakily took a breath before sitting down. Roshi sat down beside him, glancing at the static-filled television set.

 

"What is it, sir?" Tien asked quietly, trying to get back into the stone-cold emotionless feeling that he felt he needed to have. Roshi was quiet for a few moments, looking at the floor.

 

"You know, Tien," Roshi started, very softly, "that people who commit suicide cannot be wished back with the Dragon Balls if they do not wish to return, correct?"

 

Tien, his stomach crawling in fear, nodded. "Yes," Tien responded, "yes I do, sir." Master Roshi simply nodded.

 

"If we find him, and it turns out he's.. dead in that manner, Tien, you musn't lose yourself. Do you understand me?" Roshi said, taking off his glasses to reveal serious and firm eyes staring directly into Tien's. Tien was horrifically unnerved. He nodded.

 

"Yes, sir," was all Tien could say. His throat was dry, his head hurt, and pain burned behind his eyes, but he tried his damnedest to keep his face stone cold. Roshi sighed and put his glasses back on.

 

"I know you care for him very much, and I know he's your best friend. I really do get it," Roshi commented, "but I don't want you following in his footsteps if that's really what happened to him." Tien tried very hard not to sniffle.

 

"How did you know?" Tien asked very quietly, hoping to God he wasn't stepping out of line by asking questions.

 

"About Yamcha's self-destructive thoughts or about him being your friend?" Roshi asked.

 

"Self destructive thoughts, sir," Tien clarified.

"Well, I mean," Roshi sighed, "there's been times where I found that Yamcha tried to drink himself to death in West City. Seedy, underground places, too. Always upset me seein' him hooked to IV's every which way."

 

Tien remembered the beer Yamcha drank in the desert, and shivers ran up his spine.

 

The static continued to blur endlessly on the television, the waves outside Kame House slowly rolling up and down the shore. The moon was nowhere in sight from the window Tien looked through, as clouds covered up the entirety of the usually starry sky. Wind slowly breezed through the house.

 

"Sometimes, when he thought no one as looking," Roshi added after a long, quiet pause, looking out the window, "it looked like Yamcha wanted to be anywhere but here."

 

Tien sighed quietly, scrunching up his knees to his chest and resting his head against them. He closed his eyes, longing building up at the back of his eyelids and inside his heart. _He_ wanted Yamcha to be here.

 

Suddenly, anger rose up in his chest like the waves outside of the house.

 

How could Yamcha have done that? Just, up and disappeared with no word or warning? Yamcha god damned left him behind, and now Tien was left to deal with it all by himself!

 

Tien's energy rose, Roshi more than noticing, as Tien's head was buried in his knees. A sliver of holographic light began to shimmer across Tien's skin and into the area around him. Seethes and sharp intakes of breath burned through his lungs as power coursed through his muscles.

 

How could he?! After that night? Did Yamcha really _not_ care about him? Was Tien just a distraction from Bulma or God knows who else? Why? Why didn't he say anything?!

 

Suddenly, Tien's energy began dropping.

 

He was weak. God, he was so weak.

 

Tien's energy plummeted, the holographic shimmer that once danced upon his skin fading into obscurity. Roshi, concerned, gently put a hand on Tien's shoulder.

 

"I know it hurts, Tien. I know it hurts, but we can do this," Roshi said quietly, rubbing his back as Tien began to sob.

 

"Why, sir?" Tien sobbed into his knees, ashamed of himself and his own idiotic anger, "Why did he run away? Where did he go?"

 

Roshi sighed sadly, continuing to rub his back.

 

"I'm afraid I don't know, Tien," Roshi said, "and I wish I did. But, no matter what, we'll do our best. Okay? I care about our buddy as much as you and the others do, and I'll be damned if I let one of my students just drop off the radar." Tien, mourning, felt comforted slightly by this, honestly appreciating the fact that someone other than him could be the leader for this situation.

 

Tien let a few more tears drip down his face before sobbing quietly, "I miss him, Master Roshi." Loneliness and longing kept gripping Tien's emotions, and Tien wanted nothing more than to simply make sure Yamcha was okay. But he couldn't.

 

Yamcha was gone.

 

"I know, buddy. I know," Roshi said quietly, staring out of one of the open windows.

 

 


	4. rainstorm

"C'mon, everyone! We're leaving in ten minutes!" Roshi called out from the living room. Tien was getting situated in his room, putting on 'outside clothes' for his upcoming trip around West City's bars. He slipped on his normal green gi pants, followed by a plain navy blue t-shirt that was often worn with Turtle School uniforms. His black boots came on next, and Tien Shinhan, triclops extraordinaire, was ready to face the world.

 

That, or his inevitable breakdown. Whichever came first.

 

Tien walked into the living room and closed his bedroom door shut behind him. Roshi was packing stuff up in a worn, tattered bag to take with him to West City. From a distance, Tien spotted water bottles, a city map, and some shitty porno mags lazily hidden inside a gardening magazine. Huh.

 

"Tien!" Chiaotzu chippered happily, "Good morning!"

 

"Morning, Chiaotzu- oof!" Tien said before being interrupted by Chiaotzu hugging the daylights out of him. Tien laughed and hugged him in response. "What are you bein' all sweet and sugary for? It's only been about twenty minutes since we've all woken up," Tien asked, smiling.

 

"Just because," Chiaotzu said, smiling wide before looking at Tien with a bit of sadness in his eyes. "Did you sleep okay?" Chiaotzu asked suddenly through his telepathy. Tien cringed slightly; Chiaotzu must have heard or at least felt his midnight outburst the night prior.

 

"Yeah," Tien responded vocally, his voice getting a bit softer, "I'm alright." Truthfully, Tien wasn't that alright; he stayed up with Roshi for about half an hour just crying and sniffling. Afterwards, he was given the miraculous gift of cry-headaches to deal with, much to his tired frustration. Master Roshi was kind enough to give him some aspirin and a cup of water to drink before sending Tien off to bed. He wasn't really able to get much rest in the end, though, and Chiaotzu seemed to notice. Chiaotzu, however, nodded regardless and smiled with a slant of melancholy.

 

"Let's give it our best shot today," Chiaotzu encouraged softly, moving to hold Tien's hand and squeezing tight. Tien smiled and squeezed back.

 

"Let's do it," Tien responded, confidence slowly filling his chest. Maybe they _would_ find Yamcha somewhere.

 

"Can we get more breakfast in town? I'm still hungry-y," Goku complained as he walked into the living room, Tien snorting.

 

At the very least, they'd find a shitty fast food joint.

 

* * *

 

 

Krillin and Goku, given Roshi's permission and a ten dollar bill, went to explore the food stands amongst the roads of West City's Farmers Market. Tien stood on the brick path beneath his feet, noticing how firm and dusty it felt under his boots. He really didn't go to West City very much, and it was strange to feel any terrain other than sand or grass beneath his calloused feet.

 

"Chiaotzu, I'd like for you to look around with me while Tien checks out- what was it?- Mint Nightclub," Roshi said, inspecting a map with various pins inserted into certain points. Confusion glowed quietly in Tien's head, personally unsure as to why his main co-partner couldn't join along. Chiaotzu felt the same and hesitated, gulping as he wished to say something but didn't know how. Roshi noticed this and said, "C'mon, Dollboy. Spit it out."

 

".. Pardon my questioning, but why can't I go with Tien, Master?" Chiaotzu said, voice extremely small. Tien understood his anxiety at commenting, as backtalk at Crane School lead to, for lack of better words, bitchslaps or a full on beating. Roshi, however, simply adjusted his glasses, continued to look at the map, and remained silent for quite a few moments.

 

"I heard Mint Nightclub has had undercover involvement in human trafficking," Roshi commented quietly to a now-stunned Chiaotzu and Tien, "and I don't wish for someone as young, or young appearing as you, to get involved in this search."

 

"Human trafficking?!" Tien nearly yelled in shock, "Why in all hell would Yamcha end up in a place like that?!

 

"It's not the human trafficking that I think could allure Yamcha," Roshi said, anger tilting up in his voice, "but rather the hardcore drinking scene that accompanies it. Maybe even the drugs, I don't know. Regardless, Chiaotzu, I don't want you following Tien in places like that. I'm only sending Tien in there solely because I know full well he could protect himself if need be." Tien felt sweat drip down the side of his face, both from the heat and from how dark this whole search was starting off. Chiaotzu's eyes slowly bubbled with tears, fear now expressed on his face.

 

".. Tien, Tien, be careful. Be careful, okay?" Chiaotzu pleaded, tears slipping down his face. The thought of a kidnapped Yamcha, let alone Yamcha going to a place _known_ for it, sent shivers down Tien's spine. Tien wrapped Chiaotzu in a tight hug and shushed him gently.

 

"Don't worry. I got it covered," Tien reassured quietly, both directed towards Chiaotzu and Roshi. "Go with Roshi, okay? Check out the spots I can't," Tien said, pulling away to firmly look Chiaotzu in the eye. Chiaotzu, tears still streaming but slowly beginning to slow down, nodded. Tien smiled gently and pat his shoulder. "Give me a minute to talk to Roshi alone, and then you can get goin'," Tien said calmly, letting Chiaotzu go to walk towards Roshi. Chiaotzu sniffled, rubbed his eyes, and flew off a little ways down to see the busy streets of the Farmers Market. Roshi continuously stayed quiet, intentionally waiting for Chiaotzu to be too far off to hear them.

 

The city quietly hummed with life in those streets, and the darkness that lay beneath them made Tien worry. If Yamcha really was kidnapped somewhere, then where in all fuck would he have gone to? What use would they have for him? It's not like they really had that much power to control Yamcha with, right? Yamcha could kick ass in seconds and spring out a door before you could blink.

 

Tien sighed.

 

"Now, Tien," Roshi started, voice entirely serious as he still glanced at the map, "you heard what I said regarding the nightclub. I have my reasons for you going in there." Tien frowned, and anxiety formed in his stomach.

 

".. Like what, sir?" Tien responded, trying to remain polite without letting fear spread its horrible wings over him.

 

"I'm going to need you to go in there and be serious. If they give any indication of knowing about Yamcha's disappearance, then do what you need to do to get that information," Roshi instructed, folding up his map and adjusting his glasses as he looked out into the distant street. Tien gulped, cold filling his stomach, but slowly adjusted back into the mindset Shen and Tao trained him to do.

 

This was it.

 

"How far can I go?" Tien asked, slowly cooling down every thought process he let himself have about Yamcha, about everything, to focus on the one goal he needed to have: extortion.

 

"Any means. Threaten to out their little game they have going on, if need be. You may not even need to get involved that deep with them, but I need you to be real with them, Tien," Roshi said, turning to look at him. "Bulma said they used to go here when they went out together, but that they saw a lot of really bad things happen in the back rooms. That's why I know about this," he added, turning away.

 

Tien's mind turned charcoal black, his heart a pointed knife and his soul a burning flame of hell. A strange feeling of disconnected giddiness rose like bile in his throat, nearly upturning a smirk. This is what Tien so long had tried to run away from, yet, like clockwork, always looped back around to catch him. He despised it with every part of his existence.

 

"Where's the address?" Tien asked, a strange air slowly forming around him.

 

* * *

 

The nightclub was in a shady-ass part of West City's backalleys. It was still a bright and vivid morning, eleven A.M to be particular, so no loud music was bumping through. In fact, when Tien entered, there were only a few patrons in the bar that the nightclub held. The barkeeper seemed to be an older woman, definitely not one of her best days considering the dark rings around her eyes. She glanced up, saw Tien, and froze, whether it was from fear or some weird ass recognition, Tien didn't know.

 

"Can I help you?" the bartender asked, standing up to clean out some glasses as she looked Tien up and down. Tien walk forward and held back slapping the glass out of her hands. He was here for a missing person, not to get eye-fucked by some stranger.

 

"I'm looking for a missing person. Long, wavy black hair, dark-near black eye color, tan. Battle scars on his arms. Went missing a few days ago, goes by the name of 'Yamcha,'" was all Tien said, moving towards the bar. His mind was cold. Give the damned answer, lady.

 

"Yamcha, huh? Hey, Maril!" the bartender called to some young girl cleaning off tables on the side.

 

"Yeah?" Maril asked.

 

"Didn't you know a guy named Yamcha a few months ago?" the bartender asked, scrubbing another dirty glass.

 

"Oh, that guy," Maril said as she put her towel down and walked over. "Yeah, he used to be a regular," the girl said, thinking as she shifted her weight on her feet, "but he stopped comin' after that blue haired chick 'nd him broke up. Haven't seen him since. Is he okay?" Tien grimaced, more towards himself than anything else.

 

"He's missing," Tien said blankly. "Do you have any other information on him?" he continued, feeling the cold in his stomach re-adjust into a piercing glare into the bartender. The bartender took offense.

 

"Look, dude, I don't know where 'Yamcha' or whoever he is went off to. Check the other bars around here or stick some missing-posters up," the bartender said with annoyance before putting some clean shot glasses against the wall. Tien glared at Maril, her will all but crumpling under Tien's cold-as-steel stare.

 

"You?" Tien said, eyes not leaving Maril's.

 

".. Yamcha used to get himself really drunk around here. Really drunk. Like, stop at three different happy hours on this end of town drunk. I'd check around the other bars and party places, too," Maril said, her voice wavering slightly in fear. Tien's glare didn't stop.

 

Suddenly, however, Tien turned around and left. The bar door shut loudly behind him.

 

No luck.

 

* * *

 

Tien had looked over every damned shady bar on the North _and_ South end of West City with absolutely no luck. They all knew Yamcha, sure, but there was zero indication they knew where he could have ran off to. Tien looked real hard, too; he knew signs of lying, of indications of deceit. Not only that, but his third eye wasn't merely for show; to some extent, he could see into the minds of others in slight, slight glimpses. Those glimpses, at the very least, could remotely _imply_ that someone was lying, and Tien found nothing in the minds of the bar owners except those of average, working humans.

 

"It's okay, Tien," Chiaotzu reassured quietly over a bite of a cheesecake. The gang had all decided to stop and eat lunch after Goku apparently started complaining around two o'clock. Goku, Krillin, and Master Roshi were scarfing down some Chinese food that they got on one of the street corners, but Chiaotzu merely bought a piece of strawberry cheesecake from a bakery nearby. Tien had no appetite.

 

"It doesn't feel like it," Tien said, feeling dejected and closed minded as he usually got when needing to enforce the 'assassin perspective.' Chiaotzu frowned and swirled his cheesecake piece around with his fork before eating it.

 

"I know," Chiaotzu responded, his disappointment with not being able to find Yamcha also clear. Chiaotzu sighed before adding, "We looked all over, too, but neither I nor Roshi could find anyone who knew about Yamcha's whereabouts. I even read their minds, too! It stinks."

 

Tien nodded and quietly tapped his fingers on the table. It really _did_ stink.

 

The once-blue sky slowly filled with overcast clouds, Tien hearing Goku audibly worry that it was gonna rain.

 

"You're not scared of a little rain, are 'ya? Jeesh, Goku, you're a baby," Tien heard Krillin taunt, no doubtedly with a grin on his face.

 

"Hey! Thunderstorms are scary! It shakes everything up and pours real hard!" Goku argued, Tien sighing and rolling his eyes.

 

"Well, damn, do you need someone to tuck you in if it's stormin', too? We live right near the damned ocean. It's rained plenty of times, and I haven't seen you flip your lid yet!" Krillin responded.

 

"Well," Goku said after a pause, almost a bit embarrassed, "I guess I just worry something will come wash us away."

 

* * *

 

 

The overcast clouds did keep up, even when the group returned to Kame House. Thunder quietly rumbled in the distance, and Roshi made sure to bring some candles out just in case. The sky grew darker, partially from the upcoming night and additionally from the storm.

 

"Look at that, Goku," Krillin said in amusement as he looked out of a window, "looks like I _will_ have to tuck you in, huh?" Goku just blinked quietly in confusion.

 

"Y'know, I was wondering about that. Why would _you_ have to tuck me in, Krillin?" Goku asked, curious.

 

Krillin seemed to choke on his own words and quickly yelped, "I was kidding, moron! I wouldn't _actually_ tuck you in!" Goku just blinked in confusion again.

 

"But.. you sounded serious, at least," Goku said, picking at his lips with his fingers. That, Tien noticed, was a common thing Goku did when he was confused by something. Krillin sighed and shook his head, facepalming.

 

"I wasn't, dipstick," Krillin said. Tien noticed a tinge of red on Krillin's face, but didn't pursue it. Suddenly, thunder abruptly rumbled like a drumline in the distance. Goku stiffened as he lowered his head down, continuing to pick at his lips. Krillin watched Goku, shook his head once more, and sighed as he walked off to the kitchen.

 

Chiaotzu floated nearby Tien, who was sitting on the living room floor, and sat beside him. Tien gently raised a hand in greeting, and Chiaotzu responded with a slight smile. Today might have been a failure, but there was nothing he, nor anyone else, could do. Chiaotzu understood. Chiaotzu always understood.

 

"Alright, boys," Roshi said, his trademark 'determined voice' in action, "tomorrow, if it's not stormin' like hell, we'll check out West City some more. There's gotta be _somewhere_ that saw Yamcha in the past few days."

 

"Right," Krillin, Goku, Tien, and Chiaotzu replied. Roshi nodded himself out of self-confirmation, Tien supposed, and turned on the television as he moved to sit down. The television static'd out for a few moments, the upcoming storm tinkering with a signal, before it landed on a news channel.

 

"A forest fire approximately one-point-one miles east of the Animal Village is currently being doused by the East City Fire Brigade," a newscaster announced, information displaying on the TV screen. Scrolling warnings appeared on the top of the screen, particularly wanting any resident within a two mile radius of the fire to evacuate immediately.

 

"The fire appeared to begin around 2:34 P.M WST, however the cause of the fire is still unknown. Please evacuate if you are in the following areas: Animal Village, Aru Village, and Fukurou Forest's Village Pathway."

 

Everyone in the room went silent, staring at the television for a reason they couldn't explain. The news anchor continued.

 

"Again, all residents of Animal Village, Aru Village and Fukurou Forest's Village Pathway must evacuate _now_. Move to a designated emergency location as indicated by local officials. We at WCTV all encourage your health and safety as our number one priority. Thank you for your patience."

 

Everyone remained silent, even when the station switched to a commercial after the weather alert.

 

"Animal Forest, huh?" Roshi commented, still staring at the television.

 

Tien felt odd.

 


	5. love

The storm was god damned horrendous.

 

At around one in the morning, Tien heard Goku sprinting out of his bedroom, obviously panicked coming from the rapid footsteps he gave off. A weather radio blared an alarm from Master Roshi's bedroom, Goku obviously hearing it. Tien, a light sleeper, rubbed his eyes at this additional noise and groaned lightly. His bed squeaked audibly as he rolled to face his bedroom door, not wishing to get up. Another bedroom door in the house creaked open, from what Tien heard, and footsteps hastily approached a crying Goku.

 

"Dude!" Krillin whispered tiredly from the living room, "What the hell are you cryin' about?"

 

"I d---- --nna -ro--, --illin," Goku sobbed, Tien unable to catch everything Goku had said.

 

"You're- ugh, you're not gonna drown, Goku. Relax. We don't even know if the warning applies to us," Krillin whispered, Tien hearing clothing shuffle from the living room.

 

"But.. I can't relax. I'm scared the island will flood and we won't have anywhere to hide," Goku whispered, sniffling weakly.

 

Tien sighed, closed his eyes, and moved to sit up and get out of bed. He definitely wasn't going to sleep with Goku upset like this. His feet padded quietly on the floor as he opened his bedroom door, startling both Goku and Krillin. Goku was on the floor, sitting with his knees to his chest as he trembled, and Krillin stood beside him with a hand on his shoulder.

 

"Welp, party time, huh?" Tien said, walking towards them to sit down across from Goku. Chiaotzu slowly floated over from his own tiny bedroom and sat next to Tien, rubbing his eyes tiredly. Goku merely sniffled, shivering when a particularly heavy torrent of rain dashed across the thin house roof. Krillin sighed and sat next to Goku, crossing his legs.

 

"I'm sorry," Goku mumbled, rubbing his wet eyes. "I know it's stupid that I'm this scared of some dumb rain, but I just.. don't like it," Goku said.

 

"It's alright, dummy," Krillin reassured, "at least you're smart enough to know that alarms mean 'pay attention.'" Goku just sniffled before sobbing once more quietly, obviously very shaken up. Krillin just sighed and put an arm around him, shaking him gently. "Relax, knucklehead. Roshi will be up in a minute, I'm sure," Krillin said, Tien unable to help cracking a small smile. Goku, for some reason, reminded Tien of something vulnerable and innocent left far behind in his his childhood, and it made him feel fuzzy.

 

"Well, boys," Roshi said tiredly, coming down the creaky wooden steps to his bedroom, "looks like we might be in for a little bit of a ride tonight. The storm's supposed to be real severe, maybe a bit of flooding of East City and the coast, yadda yadda."

 

Goku began wailing in fear, yet Roshi raised a finger indicating him to shush.

 

"But, there's one special thing about Kame House that you guys might not've been aware of; this place is built to withstand tsunamis because of our ki training by the sea, and I _highly_ doubt that it couldn't handle a dumb little rainstorm," Roshi added, moving the weather radio to the kitchen island. Goku quieted down, Krillin rolling his eyes at Goku's fear and patting his shoulder. Chiaotzu merely yawned and flopped against Tien, mumbling something about 'night night.' Tien chuckled before gently patting Chiaotzu's head.

 

Roshi attempted to turn on a kitchen light repeatedly to no avail, huffing in annoyance before moving to light up a few candles with some ki. The light slowly glimmered off of the group's faces, Tien feeling drowsy and out-of-it. Thunder boomed loudly from outside and the storm picked up even harder, Goku screeching and startling everyone.

 

"God damn it, boy, quit that! You're gonna scare me half to death!" Roshi complained, clutching his chest in shock. Chiaotzu felt the same, apparently, giving the groggy and startled look that quickly formed on his face at Goku's scream. Goku, however, curled up into a tiny ball on the floor. Tien had to admit, though; the storm _did_ sound pretty damn bad out there. A younger Tien probably would have been just as scared as Goku, so he couldn't really say anything.

 

Krillin appeared uneasy himself, attempting to say something before being interrupted by harsh torrents of rain and thunder roaring from a short distance away. Goku merely laid on the floor away from the closed windows in a tight ball, shivering in fear. His tail wrapped tightly around his waist, hard as rope. Krillin sighed before going back to his room, not shutting his door.

 

"Krillin, wait- I- come back! I'm sorry!" Goku said, not moving from his ball. Tien leaned gently to rub Goku's back, noticing how goosebumpy he felt.

 

"Relax, buddy," Tien softly mumbled, "it's alright. I think he's coming back with something." Goku merely groaned in fear and sniffed, Roshi moving to bring a candle over from the kitchen.

 

"Is he okay..?" Roshi questioned awkwardly, moving to sit next to a stiff and scared Goku. Tien nodded, still rubbing his back before scooting a bit closer to sit near him.

 

"I think he's just really scared, Master," Tien said quietly, Krillin suddenly coming out of his room with a blanket.

 

"C'mon, monkey-boy, get up," Krillin said, louder than usual over the rain, "I got somethin' that might help you relax." Goku looked up and saw the blanket, tearily blinking in confusion.

 

".. Huh?" Goku said, rubbing at an eye with one hand.

 

"I got you a blanket, dumbass. Here, look," Krillin said, before moving to wrap the blanket around his shoulders. Goku was now sat up, wrapped in a light blanket cocoon. Tien moved away a bit and smirked; that seemed to shut him up a little bit. Good for Goku.

 

Lightning flashed brightly before thunder _roared_ a second or two later. Goku seemed to relax quite a bit now that he was covered up, but he still was visibly tense and uneasy. Roshi rubbed his tired eyes, putting the candle to the side while the storm continued on. The silence of the sea and storm continued throughout the house, everyone at an odd sense of tranquility and trepidation.

 

Tien took a look around the room. The glows of occasional lightning sent shadows spiraling across the furniture in the house, even _with_ the candle illuminating the place by just a little bit. For a moment, Tien wondered if Goku had a point to the island flooding and washing them away. The sea was dark, inviting, and heavy. Tien couldn't tell if being washed away and enveloped by the dark sea, life snuffed out, would be a blessing or a curse.

 

'What am I saying?' Tien thought, his heart growing weary. Chiaotzu continued to sleep in his lap.

 

"Boys," Roshi said, his voice gentle amidst the downpour. Everyone except a sleeping Chiaotzu looked to him and found Roshi appearing very.. old. Very worn down. Roshi continued quietly, "You know how proud I am of all of you, right?"

 

Everyone remained silent. Krillin glanced toward Tien almost with a helpless, confused look. Tien honestly didn't know what to say to that, either.

 

"Yes, sir," Chiaotzu said, surprising everyone before he quietly fell back into his sleep. Roshi looked at Chiaotzu before quietly sniffling and rubbing one of his eyes.

 

The silence continued, the melancholy of their situation resting into their soul. The sea wind breezed through the house from the screen front door, snuffing out the candle. The wind was chilling, refreshing, and made Tien want to cry. Goku said nothing.

 

Something about this atmosphere felt extremely lonely. Everyone equally, regardless of strength, power, or background, was still stuck in the dark. The sea was isolating. The rain was isolating. There was no one around to help them except the saltwater and wind of the world.

 

"Let's sleep together for a night," Goku said quietly, glancing at Roshi, Krillin, and Tien with a sad, hopeful look.

 

Roshi sniffled, made a strange, strangled noise, and took a deep breath.

 

"Sir?" Krillin said, the worry in his tone not unnoticed.

 

"Sure, Goku. Let's have a sleepover," Roshi said, his voice weary and choked. Tien's heart panged. Roshi stood up, took the unlit candle to the kitchen island before setting it down with a quiet clank, and moved back upstairs. "I'm getting blankets," Roshi said as he walked up the steps, his voice loud and wavering. Goku looked worriedly at Krillin and Tien.

 

"I didn't do anything bad, did I?" Goku asked, his voice vulnerable.

 

"No, Goku," Krillin said, gently rubbing his back, "I don't think it was you."

 

Tien felt the loss in the room, and it spread through every corner. For some reason, Tien couldn't scavenge hope for Yamcha. Something felt really, really wrong, and it darkened Tien down to his core with fear and sadness. The rain continued as Goku, blanket burrito and all, flopped into Krillin's arms with a sad huff. Krillin grunted in a sleepy, fake annoyance.

 

"What am I, your mattress?" Krillin asked, deadpan.

 

"I want my grandpa," Goku said quietly. The rain picked up once more, wind battering the windows. The platters of rain drowned out noise once more as it repeatedly slammed against the windows. 

 

Tien didn't know much about Goku's grandpa, but only that he was no longer alive and was Goku's previous guardian. Goku lost stability and love, much like Krillin and Tien had, and it made Tien relate far more than he should have. He wished he could go back to his innocence, too. God, if he could just reach it with his hands, Tien would grab it as hard as he could. 

 

But he couldn't.

 

He simply couldn't, he _knew_ he couldn't, and Tien felt incredibly useless.

 

Krillin said nothing more and let Goku lay there, gently rubbing his shoulder.

 

* * *

 

Roshi eventually came back downstairs with some blankets and pillows, Tien noticing how tired he looked when lightning flickered through the windows.

 

"Alright, boys," Roshi said, his voice not as weak as it was before, "get yourselves up. We can have a sleepover if it means Goku shuts his trap."

 

"Hey!" Goku argued sleepily, "The thunder was loud! Weren't you guys scared?"

 

"I know, I know, I'm just teasin' you, monkey-boy," Roshi said with a small smile, Goku huffing quietly as Krillin yawned. Goku took one look at Roshi setting up the blankets and pillows before starting to giggle.

 

"Krillin's gonna tuck me i-in, Krillin's gonna tuck me i-in," Goku sung sleepily, Krillin groaning in annoyance.

 

"Will'y' quit bringin' that up?" Krillin said, annoyed before lightly pushing Goku away and standing up. Goku whined before lightly kicking his feet.

 

"No-o-o, you were warm!" Goku complained, Tien chuckling as Krillin started bickering at Goku. Roshi rolled his eyes and spread the blankets out, plopping pillows vaguely where their heads could lay.

 

"If you two wanna stop actin' like a bunch'a children, the beds are ready," Roshi said, Krillin immediately staring at Roshi in annoyance.

 

"Goku started it!" Krillin argued, pointing to a Goku that still quietly continued to kick the floor.

 

"Goku, quit kickin' my floorpanels. Krillin, boy, don't make me pull out the backhand. It's too late at night for it. Tien, Chiaotzu.. keep doin' what'chr' doin'," Roshi said, pointing at everyone one by one. Tien snorted, glancing away as Krillin shut his mouth with an angry huff. Chiaotzu still remained asleep, completely unaware of what was going on.

 

Goku got out of his blanket, shivered from the cold, and then quickly scooted under the nearest blanket Roshi had set up. Krillin rolled his eyes and followed suit, walking towards an empty sleeping spot and crawling under the blanket. Tien gently carried Chiaotzu to a bed, slid under himself, and tucked Chiaotzu under the blanket beside him. Chiaotzu smiled gently in his sleep, and it warmed Tien's heart. Roshi was the last one to get into a sleeping spot.

 

"Good night, boys," Roshi said, everyone quietly responding with their own little goodnight.

 

"Goodnight," Krillin said.

 

"I love you all," Goku said, everyone suddenly silencing. The rain continued to pour. Goku's statement almost seemed to affirm that the situation with Yamcha could have been or still be possible with any one of their friends.

 

Krillin's spirit could have entirely disappeared off of the face of the Earth, orange-stained bravery and hope scattering off into the sun.

 

Goku's love could have been ripped into two in an instant, leaving everyone to deal with it with doors closed.

 

Master Roshi's guidance and care could have been torn away with the changing sky, and no one could learn nor forget.

  
  


Yamcha disappeared into the moon, wordless as the howls of the wolf he once shifted into.

  
  


"We love you too, Goku," Tien said quietly, being absolutely sincere in his statement.

 


	6. horizonline

_Tien was alone, picking up stones as he walked up a grass path. The night sky shone with stars before the stars suddenly disappeared. Tien kept counting his stones, miscounted, and continued counting. Somehow, a deep-muddled confusion kept arising as he kept failing._

_He continued walking, eventually downhill on the grass path, before the path dropped steeply down into a void. Tien stood, smooth stones in hand, and stared down at the completely vertical drop a few inches in front of him. Tien walked forward and fell, his stones disappearing from his hands. The void kept rushing up to the sound of the sea._

  


* * *

 

 

The waves quietly rolled onto the shore from outside as Tien woke up. He groaned slightly before he sat up, stretched, and blearily looked around him. Krillin, Goku, and Chiaotzu were all knocked out in their sleep, and Roshi was nowhere to be found. Tien scratched the back of his neck absentmindedly, looking around the living room once more. The house was indeed fine, however the windows outside indicated that, one, it was gonna be another overcast day, and two, the seaside was an absolute mess from the storm. Tien could spot one, maybe two metal cans from god knows where stashed amongst the sand among other strange items. Looks like they'd spend a bit of time cleaning that up, at least.

 

Tien stood up extremely quietly before stretching once more and silently padding through the kitchen. He peered through the bedroom doors, in closets, and even knocked inside the bathroom to no response. Tien then moved towards the wooden stairway that lead to Roshi's room and looked up the stairs. Tien frowned, feeling like he would once again be lead to disappointment.

 

In a demonstration of fate that seemed to always loop back around again, Roshi was also not in his bedroom. Tien sighed, trying to ignore the stomachache that was threatening to roll in his abdomen. For some reason, Tien felt a bit more safe about Roshi's disappearance than Yamcha's, but nonetheless, panic slowly crawled up his spine like nails on a chalkboard. Regardless, he was going to hold off his inevitable panic attack until _after_ the others had awoken. No point in having sleep-deprived _and_ emotionally-compromised friends to look after.

 

Tien quietly walked down the stairs, making sure the stairs didn't creak, before noticing a tiny paper note on the kitchen counter. Kicking himself, the panic immediately died down in his chest as he moved to read the note. Sure enough, it was from Roshi.

 

" _Boys,_ " the letter started,

" _I'm going to the store to stock up on food. Make your own breakfast, one of 'yas. You can train if you'd like, but I want you guys to pick up the beach before you do. It's a wreck out there._

_Be good._

_Roshi._ "

 

Tien nearly snorted; he called it, that's for sure. He put the letter back down on the island, sighing in relief at the fact that yes, Roshi _would_ be coming home this evening.

 

As if by magic, Goku quietly asked from outside of his blankets, "Where's Master Roshi?"

 

Tien chuckled. "He's in town, Goku. Don't worry."

 

"You sure..?" Goku asked, rubbing his eyes as worry filled his tone. "Did he tell you before he left or something..?"

 

"No, but there's a note here on the table. Told us to make our own breakfast and to fix up the beach from the storm last night," Tien said, reading off of the note once more. Goku nodded and flopped back under the blankets.

 

"It's chilly," Goku said, Tien also noticing the light wind that was breezing through the room. It certainly did cool down since the storm, and he found that the drop and humidity and temperature certainly made the summer day a bit more tolerable. Tien chuckled and stepped back to the living room.

 

"Then stay in your blankets," Krillin muttered quietly, annoyed at his awakening by Goku's chatter. Goku smiled as Krillin eventually sat up, tired, before flopping back down to the carpeted flooring. "Ugh," he groaned.

 

"We should take it easy today," Goku said, yawning loudly and rolling over to where he laid on his stomach. Goku's eyes were already alive with the pep that Tien _wished_ he could have, but he could only smirk.

 

"Doesn't that defeat the purpose of living with Roshi for training?" Tien retorted, noticing Chiaotzu slowly sit up from the blankets as he yawned.

 

"Well," Goku said, thinking over his words, "we've been through a lot recently. I think it'd be fair to take it easy today. Right, Krillin?"

 

"Yeah. Sure, Goku," Krillin yawned before flopping over, attempting to go back asleep. Tien sighed before standing up and moving back to his room, grabbing a towel and some extra clothes.

 

"Well," Tien said to himself, "if we're gonna take it easy, I might as well take the shower real quick."

 

* * *

 

Tien turned on the water of the bath/shower to high heat. The metal bar squeaked, obviously familiar with its own usage, and Tien couldn't help but quietly imitate the squeak under his breath. God, he was turning into Yamcha.

 

And, with that, the feeling made his mood dampen.

 

Tien walked over to the bathroom mirror, bare feet padding on the warm tile, and looked at himself in the mirror. His eyes, even the extra one, were still shaded with darkness underneath, and he looked a little too worn for wear even though he felt perfectly fine. "Fantastic," he muttered under his breath before snorting. Tien moved away from the mirror to begin stripping for the shower, tossing his clothes in a vague, haphazard fashion to the side of the teeny bathroom. The dingy walls of the bathroom were old, definitely, but oddly comforting as Tien breathed in the steam of the hot shower. It smelled like mold and artificial-fruit-scented shampoo.

 

Tien stepped in the shower, jumping as the water was a bit too hot for his tastes. He quickly turned it down, quietly cursing under his breath and trying desperately to avoid the hot water. He may have been dealt some high-level torture growing up, sure, but he still couldn't stand this shit. The water eventually cooled down enough for Tien to relax, and he had to avoid laughing in the shower like an idiot. He could see it now; _The Threatening Triclops,_ terrified of both losing everyone he loves _and_ mild skin burns!

 

"Coming out in theaters never," Tien snorted, picking up a bar of soap only for it to slip out of his hands. The soap banged against the plastic shower floor and slowly slid down to the drain. "Seriously?" he said to the bar of soap.

 

The bar said nothing.

 

"Whatever," Tien grumbled, picking it up again. Tien may have liked commercial soap over lye, but it still pissed him off when this happened. He began working the soap into the washcloth he brought with him, drenching the cloth with water before squishing it between his fingers. He then went to work, cleaning himself off in the hot water.

 

It was times like these that Tien had time to think to himself. What other plans would they have to find Yamcha? How would Bulma get involved like Roshi said a few days prior? How the high hell were they going to make Goku enough breakfast to keep him satisfied while Master Roshi was gone? Tien groaned and rolled his eyes, scrubbing a bit harder at his underarm against the stress that trapped him in his head.

 

They had already looked for Yamcha in West City. Bars, lounges, and even red-light districts were all inspected, and none of them had seen high or low of Yamcha in the past week before he disappeared. Diablo Desert was Yamcha's birthplace, sure, but the entire desert was that: a god damned desert. No one lived there presumably asides from Yamcha himself and a few hermits here and there, but other than that, Tien didn't know where he could have looked for more info on his disappearance.

 

Somehow, though, a thought itched in Tien's head. He added more soap to his washcloth, re-soaked it, and continued scrubbing.

 

Yamcha _had_ to have some connections in West City, at least particularly for getting into the high level lounges. And, as Roshi said, maybe the drugs or services had him invested somehow. Maybe just enough to know names of the movers and the shakers within the depths of West City's underground.

 

The hot water began to sting his skin. Tien didn't care. He scrubbed harder until his skin was raw, quickly finishing his cleaning before he turned off the water and quickly dried off.

 

* * *

 

"What's goin' on?" Goku said as he turned away from the now-on TV, noticing Tien's rush out of the bathroom. Tien had somehow got a pair of shorts and boxers on within seconds of coming out of the shower, and his intense expression probably didn't help Goku's confusion. Taking a moment to calm down, he rapidly grabbed his frantic thoughts and shoved them into a sentence.

 

"I thought I heard someone yell," Tien said, kicking himself and hoping to god his lie worked. He needed to god damn relax if he was gonna get anywhere with this, and suspicion wouldn't help anything. He'd need to do this quietly and precisely. Goku blinked in confusion.

 

"No, no one yelled. You must've heard the television or somethin'," Goku said, pointing to the channel he was on. It was some show on cave exploration, Tien unsure how the hell he could have logically ever misheard something as gentle as _that_ as a yell. He held back sighing, hoping to God that Goku was enough of a dip to leave it at that. Thankfully, he did. "Oh," he added, "when are we havin' breakfast?"

 

"In a little bit, bud," Tien said, finding that his own stomach was growling, too. "Where's Krillin and Chiaotzu?"

 

"Pickin' up outside," Goku said, turning to look back at the TV. "We finished picking up a little bit, and Krillin's checkin' out a weird metal board we found," Goku trailed off, Tien's head tilting.

 

"Huh," Tien said, pausing before moving to the front door. "Well, I'll help you guys out a little."

 

"Okay," Goku said before continuing to watch the cave documentary, completely entranced by the show host's explanations.

 

The sky was plush with soft gray clouds, a cool summer wind gently breezing across Tien's skin as Krillin was, as Goku said, looking at a long metal sheet near the seaside. Chiaotzu was using some of his psychic energy to try to remove a particular deep-set piece of rope from the shore.

 

"What's up?" Tien said, stepping off of the creaky wooden porch as he began walking on the sand. Looking around, he inspected the damage; wood boards, shards of cans and metal, and even soda bottles were littered around the island. Damn.

 

"Check it out, three eyes; somehow to hell, _this_ ended up washin' on shore last night," Krillin said, kneeling down to knock on a large, curved metal panel that lay on the sand. The knocks resulted in a hollow dinging noise that echoed throughout the island. Tien moved closer and kneeled alongside Krillin, inspecting the metal sheet.

 

"You never seen scrap metal before or somethin'?" Tien said, confused as to why Krillin was so damned intrigued by a piece of junk.

 

"Shut up, it's just weird. I've never seen something _this_ big wash up on shore in one piece," Krillin commented. Tien shrugged slightly.

 

"Wanna flip it over? See if any aliens wrote a caution message or something?" Tien joked, Krillin gently shoving his shoulder.

 

"Well, fuck you, I'll do it, too," Krillin grumbled, standing up alongside Tien as he easily lifted the panel and pushed it over. Nothing was on the bottom either except for some sand and seaweed.

 

"Nice one, baldy," Tien muttered under his breath with a smirk.

 

"Never said I'd find the path to Jesus under the panel, Three-Eyes," Krillin retorted just as sarcastic, Tien snorting and walking away to pick up some glass bottles. Chiaotzu finally managed to yank the rope out of the ground, pulling a heavy metal object out with it and nearly knocking himself out.

 

"Yeesh, Chiaotzu, you alright?" Tien said, exasperated at witnessing Chiaotzu's near-second dangerous injury. Chiaotzu giggled and used his psychic to pick up the item.

 

"Yeah," Chiaotzu commented, "I'm good. I think it's just some scrap metal again." Chiaotzu then showed off his strange find to Tien. It just appeared to be a large, roughed up piece of metal that washed ashore the night previously.

 

"Save this shit," Krillin commented from across the island, picking up garbage, "Bulma might have a use for 'em."

 

"Since when do you care about others?" Tien sarcastically joked, tossing scrap trash into a pile of the beach.

 

"Longer than you have, Crane Student," Krillin responded, Tien almost able to hear the smug grin on his face. Tien snorted; that might as well have been true, to be honest. Tien didn't really chill out until he got together with the Turtle Student group, and he couldn't have been more thankful.

 

Still, he enjoyed fucking around with his once-rivals every once in a while.

 

"Any idea about, uh, what to do about the city searchin', Tien?" Chiaotzu asked quietly while picking up some broken glass amidst the sand.

 

"I don't know, honestly. I'll wait for Master's advice," Tien said, wanting to keep his plans about finding Yamcha in the dark. He had to lie this time, even if before he had sworn to never lie to Chiaotzu. Chiaotzu was also a mind reader himself, but Tien had the same training he had in keeping his mind blocked off from others.

 

He needed to do this alone.

 

"I sure hope we got some kinda plan soon.. Do you think Bulma would know?" Chiaotzu said, turning to face Tien with a hopeful yet melancholic look on his face. Tien sighed and shrugged.

 

"I don't think so," Tien said, unsure of how to phrase the statement of, 'I have a feeling that Yamcha would've told his boyfriend-bestfriend-man-he-kissed-the-night-before over his ex when it came to randomly disappearing'. So, instead, Tien just said, "Bulma didn't seem to know where he went off to when she came over that one day. I'm guessing she doesn't know anything about it, either." Chiaotzu just sighed and looked down towards the sand.

 

A gentle breeze blew past them, silent yet warm.

 

"Do you think we'll need the Dragon Balls?" Chiaotzu said quietly, moving to sit on the sand in sadness.

 

"I wouldn't be against it," Tien said, picking up some soda bottles that laid along the shoreline. "If anything, I'd be all for it if we ran out of ideas. I'm sure Shenron would be able to answer _something,_ at least."

 

Chiaotzu nodded. "You're right. I'm sure we'll figure out something in the end," he mumbled, still sounding a bit dejected. Tien noticed this and put his bottles in a plastic garbage pile he made on the beach. He walked over to Chiaotzu and sat on the sand beside him, gently pulling him into his arms.

 

"Don't worry, okay?" Tien comforted, noticing how small Chiaotzu looked. No matter how old he was, there were still expressions that Chiaotzu gave that made him look like he was still just a little boy, and it broke Tien's heart. Chiaotzu just sighed and leaned against his chest.

 

"It's been a long time since someone I loved had died, and it's even weirder just not knowing where a friend is, and if they're dead or alive or not," Chiaotzu mumbled, Tien's heart squeezing at the mention of Yamcha's death through his disappearance.

 

"All we can do is our best. Okay?" Tien said, trying to ignore the subtle yanking in his heart that attempted to sink him downwards. He couldn't handle Yamcha being dead, but he had to stay strong. At the least, in front of Chiaotzu, he had to stay strong.

 

"I know," Chiaotzu said, closing his eyes.

 

"Ti-en!" Goku called from the front porch, Tien and Chiaotzu turning to look at him, "I want fo-od! Can we have breakfast, please?"

 

Tien chuckled, shaking his head. "Good lord, you vacuum. Alright, Chiaotzu, up we go," he smiled, picking up Chiaotzu as he giggled lightly.

 

He had a plan.

 

* * *

 

Tien had done something he had never done before. It crawled up his chest with an odd bit of disgust and guilt before settling down into an odd feeling of uncomfortableness.

 

He was snooping around Yamcha's room.

 

It was the first time he had entered his room since Yamcha just disappeared off to somewhere, but it was needed if he was going to try his plan. No one commented when Tien went inside Yamcha's room after breakfast and shut the door behind him. Tien guessed it was pity that caused the silence, but he couldn't really deny it. The warm, painful ache that came with the smell of Yamcha's deodorant definitely reinstated the desire to curl up in a corner, wrap himself in Yamcha's blanket, and not leave until he came home. Tien could only take a deep breath, ignore the waver in his sigh, and continue moving forward towards Yamcha's dresser.

 

The fact that he was snooping through Yamcha's shit for phone numbers to _anyone_ definitely made Tien feel like shit, and multiple times did Tien nearly close the drawer and leave the room. He took a deep breath. It was, really was, for Yamcha's sake.

 

"Sorry, my dear friend," Tien said sincerely, praying to God that Yamcha would forgive him as he searched through his sock drawer. The drawer wasn't too full, mostly consisting of dingy socks that presumably were held onto from most of his desert-bandit years. No notes, no numbers, no nothing. Tien quietly shut the drawer and checked the next one. And, of course, it was a drawer containing his boxers.

 

Tien couldn't find the will to blush; the moment the opportunity arose, he felt shame crush his stomach and chest. 'I hate every bit of this,' Tien thought to himself as he gently moved around clothing, looking for any type of note or number. This drawer also had nothing of importance. He could feel the burn of shame from every corner of the now too-hot room, Tien wishing he could run away. He wanted to run away from the eyes that judged him, inspected him, taunted him as he shakily closed the drawer. How shameful could Tien Shinhan be to disgrace one of his closest friend's privacy?

 

There was nothing he could do.

 

Tien continued, gulping down tears and his own self-hatred.

 

The next drawer contained mostly training gi tops, a couple of peculiar seashells, an empty can of beer, his deodorant, and a letter with Yamcha's name written in cursive, feminine handwriting. Tien immediately denied looking at the letter, wishing to claw out his own vocal cords before snooping through Yamcha's letters. He moved the gis and other materials around lightly, attempting to spot a note. His hand when moving the gis, however, paused. The fabric, rough yet gentle under his calloused fingers, threatened to send him back to the night they spent in the desert.

 

The memories kept trying to push himself in Tien's mind, how nice it was to hold Yamcha amidst the cold wind, the taste of alcohol, the wonderful, freeing feeling of isolation. He held Yamcha, when Yamcha was flesh, bone, a bandit in the night that stole off into the horizon. Now, he was gone. All he left behind was sand.

 

Tien didn't realize he was crying until after a few teardrops plopped onto Yamcha's gi top. "Oh, oh god," Tien whispered, his throat constricting with sudden tears, "I'm sorry, fuck, fucking shit!" He rapidly attempted to try the tears off with his fingers as they eventually smudged off into the same, faded orange cloth that it was before. Tien was filled with loss once again, and wanted to kick himself. He needed to get this done. This wasn't for him, this was for Yamcha and Yamcha's safety alone. He hesitantly shut the drawer, wiping the tears that spilled down his cheeks onto his wrists. His eyes and nose stung with tears.

 

After recovering for a moment, the next drawer was his training bottoms. Same orange fabric as the top, Tien found with bleary eyes, yet a few pairs were damaged with cuts. Tien snorted tearily, guessing that those were 'lazy day' pairs from the damage sustained to them. Suddenly, however, Tien noticed a piece of notebook paper in the very back corner of the drawer. The paper was ripped, obviously hastily so, and Tien gently grabbed it like he was holding a leaf from a tree. His throat caught in his chest.

 

The piece of paper had a phone number on it. 'Kasen' was scribbled hastily under it, most certainly Yamcha's sloppy yet readable handwriting. Tien's grip shook on the note. The room was too fucking hot, too small, too cramped, and it swallowed his energy without even trying.

 

A phone number, with the name 'Kasen' underneath.

 

This may have been exactly what he was looking for.

 


	7. paralysis

Tien sat in the corner of a booth at Mint Nightclub, an untouched mug of beer and a bowl full of peanuts sitting in front of him. He anxiously tapped his fingers on the table as he awaited a specific girl's arrival in some way, shape, or form.

 

This was something new.

 

* * *

 

 

The phone call from that morning was short, sweet, and to the point. Tien didn't really know where else to anonymously call someone, but he managed to sneak away from Roshi and the others in West City long enough to find a shitty phone booth and call Kasen's number.

 

It went a little like this:

 

"Hello?" a woman's voice said from the other end of the line, not impatient, yet firm enough to where anyone could tell she wasn't necessarily pleased with being called.

 

"Yes," Tien said, training his voice to not tremble in fear at what he planned on doing, "I ask forgiveness for troubling you with a call today. I called to ask if you knew a man by the name of Yamcha."

 

The woman paused noticeably before something shifted on her end of the call. "Yes," she said, "I do. Who is this?"

 

"Yamcha's gone missing, and I am his-," Tien paused for a split second, unsure as to what to refer himself as. Friend? Boyfriend? Cohort? He eventually chose a, "-close friend. We've been grasping at straws for about a week now with no leads, and I'd like to ask if you know of where he's been." The girl seemed to sigh quietly, a sound similar to a door being shut on her end of the phone.

 

"Well, shit. I heard he dropped out of the thievin' business, but looks like he hopped back in, huh?" the woman, presumably Kasen, chuckled lightly.

 

Tien frowned, shifted where he was standing, and continued to hold onto his dingy phone booth's telephone. "I'm not sure, frankly. I didn't believe he got back into that kinda stuff, but whatever he did, he's missing," Tien explained, a quiet voice in the back of his head wishing Yamcha was in a crime-related kidnapping; they'd at least have a lead then.

 

"Well, Mister-Whoever-You-Are, I personally don't know where he is. Haven't heard of him for a few years. But, lucky you, I can give you more information on who might, maybe some good places to search. In return, though, I'm gonna need you to do some stuff for me. Meet me at Mint Nightclub tonight at one in the morning, capiche?" Kasen said, Tien almost able to hear the audible smirk in her voice. He avoided sighing in anxiety. I-owe-you's: the world's biggest and most loved form of torture.

 

"Sounds good to me," Tien said, voice firm as he rubbed his temple.

 

"What's your name?" Kasen asked.

 

"Tien Shinhan," he replied.

 

"Oh, shit, you're that dude Yamcha fought back then at the World Martial Arts Tournament! Now I _know_ you're f'real!" she exclaimed, Tien stiffening in surprise.

 

"Yeah, yeah. That's my relation to him, I suppose," Tien mumbled quietly, scratching at the back of his neck.

 

"Well, Tien, sit at table, uh-h," Kasen said, flipping through something on her end of the line, "Sit at table three tonight and ask for a beer and some peanuts. I'll have one of my girls come getcha and we can work out the details after that."

 

"Can do."

 

The woman laughed quietly before hanging up the phone, Tien left hearing the dial tone for a moment before placing it back against the receiver with a gentle clank.

 

* * *

 

Tien reached for a peanut, cracked the shell, and lifted the peanut directly to his lips but didn't eat it. He felt fearful, nervous as to what the hell kind of blackmail could be used on him if Kasen's a total damn fraud. He opened his mouth and chewed the peanut.

 

Christ, what was he doing?

 

His mind drifted off to the neon lights that burned through his retinas. The lights dazzled him, but snapped himself out of it with a blush as he realized the neon lights were directly beside ladies dancing on poles.. He looked away to someone smoking a blunt of something in the corner, the smoke wafting from the blunt in whisps. Catching the neon, the smoke curled up, and Tien found himself once again intrigued. The music pounded into his core, some rough, techno sounding music, when he felt his heart race. Maybe _this_ was why Yamcha showed up; it was much, much more alive than the creaky old place that was Kame House.

 

Tien chewed another peanut, wishing that Yamcha would just come out of a back room and take him home. He knew it was such a ridiculous wish, but he could never get the quiet wishful thinking out of his head at distracting places like this. Even with the smoke curls and throbbing music, he just wanted everything to go back to the way it was.

 

Suddenly, a girl tapped on his table, Tien startling.

 

"Hey, dude," the girl said, donning quite a formal outfit much akin to a waitress, "my boss requested you to the back."

 

"Oh," Tien said, blinking away his shock. Was it that time already? "Sure, uh, where do I go..?"

 

The girl pointed towards the very back of the club, a dark hallway faintly visible to even Tien's third eye. "Go there," she said, "and take the hallway to the right at the very end. You'll find a set of stairs; go up them and stop at the third floor. When you get to the third floor, go to the third door on the left and knock seven times. Got it?"

 

Tien had to avoid his eyes whirling as he captured the info one more time, bracing himself for a repeated instruction. "Go to that hallway," Tien said, "turn right, go upstairs to third floor, stop at third door to right, knock seven times. Right?

 

The girl smiled. "Correctomundo," she said, gently patting his shoulder. "Don't keep her waiting, alright? She's real busy this time of night." Tien nodded with a determined grunt.

 

"Yes, Ma'am," Tien said with a firm nod before walking off through the club. The lights reflected in all directions across his skin, the room a heavy shade of maroon and bright lights as he went to the hallway entrance. People talked endlessly, some cheering and yelling sexual obscenities, and Tien's heart couldn't stop god damned pounding.

 

The hallway was dark, and almost immediately after he started stepping in, the music became muffled. It was almost like the entire building took off its 'sexy' façade and put on the dark side of the city; cold, calculating, and watching your every move. Dust was settled in the hallway as Tien continued to walk forward, his shoes quiet against the red carpet of the building. The cold and darkness made its way into his heart as he gulped, ignored the fear rising in his throat like bile, and pressed on.

 

The air became stale and dusty as Tien found his way to the staircase. His footsteps now echoed throughout the cement stairwell, thudding through infinity. Wherever he was going, it certainly wasn't a place where many people went off to. So, to pass the time, he counted his steps from the echoes. The lack of windows on the walls made it that much darker, and Tien nearly tripped a few times trying to make sure his feet landed on a stair and not a midpart. A train rumbled in the distance as Tien suddenly had a strong feeling of homesickness, but for _what,_ he didn't know.

 

The second floor of the building was pretty blank in its presentation. The stairwell opened to a hallway that was closed off by a door. It didn't appear locked, but Tien had a feeling that if he were to enter, he'd probably get himself killed. Death, dismemberment, or some other horrible type of torture felt like the consequence of entering, and Tien wasn't a weak man. He shivered and continued up to the third floor, surprised by the presence of very weak orange lights that lined the cement walls.

 

" _Now_ they add lights, I suppose," Tien mumbled quietly, surprised at how much his own voice bounced off the walls of the stairwell. The air smelled strongly of dust and earth, and Tien felt both at home and extremely unnerved. The orange light casted a faint glow on his skin as he eventually reached the third floor, no different from the second. Tien took another deep breath, wishing his hands weren't so sweaty, before moving towards a door that blocked off the hallway. The hallway was entirely dark asides from the light from the stairwell.

 

The door opened without a single creak. Someone managed this area and managed it _well_. He silently shut the door behind him before focusing his stone-cold training, piercing his soul into a jagged rock. Cold filled his chest and head, feeling like lemons were scrubbing against the raw wounds of his soul.

 

It was cold. It was so god damned freezing, and he had no choice.

 

Suddenly, as if coming above water, Tien took a deep breath through his nose, posture stiffer but almost more rough. Molded. Perfection in a shell that didn't fit. A headache formed in his head like it always did, yet Tien found himself wondering why he was trying to act this way. It felt strangely useless as he faced the uncaring darkness.

 

It was for Yamcha. There was nothing left to do.

 

Without a sound, he walked through the dark hallway, hesitation gone, to the third door and knocked seven times.

  


"Tien Shinhan. Nice to see 'ya tonight," a young woman said as she opened the door, Tien startled by how open she was being. He stiffened himself before nodding, recognizing that this trade of information was all business and not companionship.

 

"Good evening, Kasen," Tien said firmly, walking into the room as Kasen held the door open for him. She was a tall young woman, all bright blue hair and legs of a goat. Long curled horns appeared from thick locks of short hair, her square pupils of her eyes staring politely at Tien as he walked through. Her white collared dress shirt matched quite well with her black dress pants, and she looked, all things considered, ready for a business meeting rather than a possible black market deal of info.

 

"Take a seat, Shinhan," Kasen said, smiling as she moved to her desk on the opposite side of the room. No windows, of course- what kind of moron gets a window office when they're the head of an underground crime syndicate bar- but the room was otherwise quite open and free. Tien took a seat that was in front of Kasen's desk, the seat plush and quite comfortable.

 

He wondered how many people found themselves dead sitting in this chair.

 

"I understand you're looking for the whereabouts of our little buddy, Yamcha, right?" she said casually, taking some files out of her desk.

 

"That's correct," Tien said, hoping he wasn't about to sign his life away.

 

"Well, to be honest with you, Shinhan, and I said this earlier," Kasen said, looking at Tien firmly in the eyes, "I haven't seen him around here. I keep watch on shit around here, y'know, and I would've known if he'd gotten himself high as a kite and kidnapped or some shit."

 

Tien's heart fluttered down, disappointment becoming a familiar feeling to him.

 

"However," Kasen continued, tapping her fingers on her desk, "I know some people. These people have also worked with Yamcha in the past. Much bigger than I am by a long shot, and have a lot more resources than I ever would- and I'm saying that as one of the biggest dealers this side of West City. Not only that, but hey, Yamcha wasn't that bad of a guy." Kasen shuffled some files that were on her desk. "I wanna help the guy out myself," she said seriously, now looking through the files.

 

Tien nodded. "Is there anything you have in mind?" he said, voice steady.

 

Kasen flipped through a folder and pulled out a sheet of paper. "If you wanna get the higher up's attention, you'll need some benefits on your back. They know you've saved shit from, uh, what's his name? King Piccolo or whoever the fuck? Yeah, they know you got some pretty powerful abilities on your hands. The thing that'll _really_ make 'em wanna help you with Yamcha, though," she said, smirking as she held out the sheet of paper to Tien, "is knocking out one of their, uh, 'business rivals' as we call'em."

 

Tien held the paper. Someone by the name of 'Rayne Darek' was on an info sheet. He was fifty-two years of age, had three different places of residency in West and East City along with a hideout in Fukurou Forest, and was responsible for causing an elephant tranquilizer laced heroin crisis that killed hundreds in East City's slums. His main reason for being targeted was the fact that he tried to pin Mint Nightclub as the sole producer of the tainted heroin. Tien nodded at the paper, understanding what he was expected to do.

 

"So, basically," Kasen said, "you knock this guy out within a month or so, and I'll throw you to the higher-ups. You'd be a powerful asset to them, Shinhan, and I'm sure they'd be able to help you find Yamcha. And, well, if you choose to decline, well, we know you and your buddies live at Kame House."

 

Tien looked from the paper up at her, nearly failing to hide his shock, and Kasen was smiling with an almost sickeningly sweet grin. She already knew his goddamn _home location_ and everyone who lived there as well. The fact that his loved ones were officially an unspoken target depending on his performance made him shaky, even if his friends could probably fight back on their own just fine. Nonetheless, he swallowed it down with a heart of steel.

 

To be absolutely fair, Tien didn't come here to decline anything involving Yamcha's whereabouts, nor did he intend on failing his mission.

 

"You have a deal," Tien said, determination lining darkly under his voice.

 

Guilt roiled in his stomach. He couldn't go back now. Getting involved may have been the biggest mistake in his life, and he hoped and prayed that this worked out alright.

 

"Good," Kasen said, pulling an old flip phone out from her pocket before handing it to Tien. "Take it," she instructed, "it's a burner phone. There's one number on it. We'll call you from it when we have intel. If it goes to voicemail, listen to it and _delete it afterwards_. If something risky happens, immediately destroy the phone and come back to my office. Are we clear?"

 

Tien took the phone and felt confused as all hell. He never once had used a cell phone in his life, and he's only really seen Bulma tinker on some high tech one. She would never have used some 'outdated' phone like this. Kasen seemed to realized this and sighed, chuckling.

 

"I gotta do everything around here, don't I?" she complained jokingly, Tien stiffening.

 

"My apologies," Tien said, his steelhearted-manipulation-mode faltering a smidge. Kasen chuckled and shook her head.

 

"Don't worry about it. Here," she said, beginning to instruct Tien on the beginnings of phone usage.

 

* * *

  


Tien couldn't sleep.

 

He just got himself involved with a large connection of black market dealers with the threat of death at his failure.

 

To be honest, Tien had a feeling that he could have survived being 'assassinated' by mere human weapons. Hell, Yamcha had gotten more gunshot wounds than a gun range and still managed to escape perfectly fine. What's more, they all had learned how to deal with energy beams that could decimate through earth, metal and human flesh with ease.

 

It was the human trafficking that horrified him.

 

The fact that Kasen knew Yamcha was missing and could certainly threaten Chiaotzu or any of his friends made Tien want to flee existence and throw himself into the sea.

 

The waves rolled on, Tien shakily trying not to cry into his pillowcase with fear.

  



	8. trailmix

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EMETOPHOBIA WARNING  
> \---------------------  
> DISTURBING CONTENT WARNING  
> \---------------------

Tien ate his bag of gas station trail mix, the salty-sweet taste warm against the cool summer breeze. Chiaotzu eagerly munched at the mix, kicking his feet lightly like a child as he sat on his log. Snorting, Tien watched glanced from Chiaotzu to the blue sky above them.

 

Roshi thought it would be a nice plan to have a training session in the forest, hoping to break the stagnation that seemed to befall the group. Now, though, they just kinda explored the forest paths, more hiking than practicing various ki moves.

 

Tien watched the clouds above, white pluffs lazily drifting towards the east. He wondered if Yamcha was seeing the same clouds he did, wherever he was. With a sad sigh, Chiaotzu beside him put his now-empty bag of gas-station sugar into Master Roshi's camping backpack. Tien still stared at the sky listlessly.

 

"Do you have any more, Master?" Goku asked happily after eating his third bag of trail mix.

 

"Lord, son. Here. One more," Roshi said, tossing him another bag from his large book bag of traveling goodies. "I'm worried about you gettin' some kinda health problem from all the damn food you eat, but I mean, somehow you're still skinny as a pole."

 

"Yeah!" Goku cheered, ignoring the last comment Roshi made and eagerly tearing into the bag. Krillin rolled his eyes and sighed, shaking the contents of the bag into his mouth. The wind gusted through once more, cicadas crying from the forest trees.

 

Tien wiped the sweat off his forehead. A good training session did that to 'ya, he supposed. He sighed, glancing away towards a trunk of a tree. A dead bird lay there, covered with ants and festering.

 

The cicada noises died, and the heat rose.

 

A dead bird lay there, covered with ants and festering.

 

"Eat it," Mercenary Tao ordered, the heat utterly sweltering in the depths of the large forest. Tien's stomach roiled, his body heavy with an unshed fever that had lasted for days prior. His vision rolled, dizziness a consistent rumble.

 

".. Sir," Tien, whimpering, pleading, " _Sir._ "

 

Tien, the ripe age of fifteen, ordered to eat the rotting carcass of a raccoon.

 

Tao walked over, grabbing him by the back of his neck and shoving him roughly down into the decaying organs of the dead forest animal. Blood, intestine, and animal fecal matter pressed and squished against his face. The raw organs were warm and smelled entirely of bacteria and death.

 

"Eat it. Open your fucking mouth."

 

Tien's stomach lurched and he vomited, tears and utter disgust burning through the entirety of his soul. Tao refused to move, angrily shoving him further into the mess of vomit and decayed animal.

 

" _Open your fucking mouth._ "

 

There was nothing else he could do.

 

"Tien, what's wrong?!" Master Roshi said, suddenly breaking the event as Tien found himself throwing up on the ground in front of him. The stomach acid burned his throat, shock frozen in his body and rendering him unable to move. The nausea and utter fear rose once more, the rest of the contents of his stomach expelling itself.

 

Suddenly, Tien found himself surrounded by Roshi, Krillin, Goku, and Chiaotzu. He couldn't do this anymore. Whatever it was, he couldn't do it. He wanted to disappear. Tao would find him.

 

"Tao," Tien choked out, coughing harshly as he shivered in fear. He'd find him. He'd make him eat the raccoon again. The organs, the taste. The vomit.

 

"Tien, Tao's not here. You're with us, we're right here with you," Chiaotzu said, eyes widened in fear and a subtle, pitiful understanding. It didn't matter, though. Tao would be behind the trees and behind him, he knew it.

 

"Good lord, Tien, you're pale as a sheet, Christ," Roshi said softly, gently rubbing Tien's face and forehead with a handkerchief. Tien was sweating so hard it was dripping onto the log he was sitting on, and he couldn't manage to calm himself down.

 

"Do you need to go to the hospital?" Krillin said, looking into his eyes with extreme concern. Tien wanted to cry. He wanted to go disappear somewhere. He didn't understand why this happened.

 

Tao really _wasn't_ there anymore.

 

What was wrong with him?

 

"Hey, buddy, it's okay. You're here," Roshi said, getting another handkerchief to wipe the tears that were now flooding down Tien's cheeks. Shame slowly replaced the fear that had swelled in his body as Tien sobbed. He wished he had never been born. "Here, buddy," Roshi said quietly, walking over to gently help him up. Tien didn't resist, even though fear rose at the sudden touch before drifting back to shame.

 

He moved Tien over to the forest floor, away from the mess by the log. Krillin and Goku followed, Chiaotzu tearily trying to console him.

 

"Should we take him to the doctor..?" Goku asked, fear in his tone as Chiaotzu hugged Tien tight. Tien still sobbed, whimpering incoherently about death.

 

Roshi sighed. "I don't know. I don't, Goku. Let's just.. Let's just go home when he gets himself back in one piece, alright?" Roshi said quietly, readjusting his glasses and picking up his camping backpack from the ground. Krillin gently sat by Tien, reassuring him softly that Tao wasn't gonna fuck with them as long as _he_ had anything to say about it.

 

Tien just shivered as he sat on the ground, sniffles punctuating his sobs. He began clinging to Chiaotzu after a few moments, knowing that he understood. He was the only one in the world who understood the pain, the agony, the utter crimes that Mercenary Tao committed just because he could.

 

It was times like these that Tien wished more than anything that he had found Roshi first.

 

Chiaotzu merely sighed shakily and continued soothing him, almost rocking him in attempts to calm him down. Tien eventually fell silent, sniffling.

 

The most he ever had before was nightmares, terrors that grabbed him by the legs and plunged a knife through his chest. His trauma, a silhouette in the shape of himself, had left him scrambling and screaming through sweat-soaked bed sheets in the prime of winter. It was summer now, though, and now he was encountering full on memories in the forefront of his eyelids. Wasn't he supposed to man up? Or merely, wasn't this supposed to eventually go away?

 

".. You feeling better, Tien?" Roshi said, moving towards him and kneeling. Tien lifted his head, face red and eyes puffy, and nodded weakly.

 

"I'm-" Tien started, suddenly clearing his throat to avoid coughing, "I'm okay. I'm sorry, Master." His swallows still tasted like vomit, and it disgusted him. He had more than enough of that experience.

 

"Don't apologize, boy. You're good. C'mon, buddy, let's go home," Roshi said, lending a hand to him as Krillin stood up himself. Tien, pangs of thankfulness amidst the numb fear in his psyche, held onto his hand and let himself be lifted up. Chiaotzu still clung onto him, Tien reciprocating once he stood up.

 

Roshi sighed quietly to himself. "I'm proud of the work we've done today, boys. Let's get home, shower up, and get some dinner. Or, Tien, some rest if you want," Roshi commented. Somehow, Tien found himself roughly chuckling at that, his face still throbbing from crying. Goku nodded with an affirmative huff before looking back by the log.

 

"Is someone gonna clean that up..?" Goku asked quietly, pointing to the stomach contents by the log. Roshi rolled his eyes, shaking his head.

 

"I'm sorry," Tien hoarsely said, Chiaotzu quickly shushing him with a caring, "Don't apologize. It's okay. I promise."

 

"We don't need to clean it up. It's nature. Let it do its thing," Krillin said in annoyance, grabbing Goku's hand a bit rough to pull him ahead. Goku cried out slightly with shock and pain, Krillin groaning in annoyance.

 

* * *

 

They had been wandering further down the forest path, about halfway through back to East City, when suddenly an odd, dull roar hazed from a distance. Roshi paused, everyone following, as the dull noise slowly increased in volume but never in specific sound. Wind blew along, forest leaves slipping amongst the dirt path.

 

Roshi looked to Chiaotzu, Chiaotzu catching his glance back and knowing exactly what he wanted him to do. Chiaotzu rose high up over the trees, glancing in every direction before pausing south-east. His body stiffened, then slumped in what was a deep-set exhaustion.

 

"Forest fire. Two miles down. Crap," Chiaotzu said, his voice lined with anxiety. Everyone immediately felt a mix of disappointment and tiredness before Tien picked up the familar chop of helicopter blades.

 

A huge, loud roar of a blast shook the group. The group immediately sprinted to the explosion, noticing the distinct noise of a helicopter slowly dying to the sound of fire.

 

A helicopter had crashed into the trees. The broad oaks had caught on fire, spurred by the fuel that had burst from the crashed plane, and the forest was slowly beginning to burn out of control. The wind picked up and quickly sent smoke and embers gusting towards the group.

 

"Damn it, shit, ouch!" Krillin cursed weakly, batting the embers that singed his skin before coughing harshly and attempting to run towards the forest path behind them.

 

"The pilot..! What- what do- do we do?!" Goku hoarsely whispered between coughs, unable to breathe amidst the now rapidly building wind of smoke and ember. The sky was no longer visible, clouded by dust and fumes.

 

"Shit," Roshi coughed, "Get out, guys, get out! We can't help this one!"

 

Tien.. couldn't.

 

Without thinking, he sprinted towards the mass of burning helicopter, Chiaotzu following. They disappeared into the thick black smoke.

 

"Boys!" Roshi called desperately, choking before shaking his head and pushing Goku and Krillin out towards the path to East City. "Now! Get out, I'll get them!"

 

* * *

 

Tien's lungs burned. They burned hot with the smoke that threatened to single handedly send him spiraling down to hell.

 

He couldn't leave whoever this was.

 

Maybe it was pity, or maybe it was some sort of actual resemblance of human compassion in his long-ruined shanty of a heart. Tien didn't know and, frankly, didn't mind whether or not he died in the flames.

 

Coming from the weak grimace of a smile that Chiaotzu gave when he tried to see through the smoke, it looked like Chiaotzu didn't mind, either.

 

Coughing, the duo went further into the hot, burning area around the helicopter. The area had long bursted into flames, smoking madly with a firey roar. It was horrifically difficult to see through the plumes of black smoke, but they managed to spot a few things. One, they spotted an odd insignia on the copter that didn't manage to get blasted off by the explosion; it seemed almost like a wing of a plane. Two, the wings and tail of the copter were broken off somewhere and nowhere to be found.

 

And, three, the pilot was burnt to an utter crisp on the ground.

 

Half of his torso was ripped off in the crash, his organs and fat a sickening shade of burnt yellow. The face was crusted with a dark black, no longer resembling anything human. If Tien wasn't trying not to black out from either seeing this or the smoke, he guessed the burnt uniform he wore was stuck to his skin from the utter heat.

 

'Poor man,' Tien thought to himself as Chiaotzu pulled him back suddenly.

 

"I can't breathe!" Chiaotzu cried harshly via telepathy, Tien realizing that he really _was_ about to black out. His vision spun around, his lungs feeling like they were about to crush inwards. An explosion ruptured behind him, and heat utterly burned at the back of his legs until it breached into numbness. His mind drifted off, corners blurring into infinity.

 

Someone or something had pulled him out of the heat, but Tien found himself not being able to comprehend it. He felt pulled somewhere where the air was cool. His legs stung, stung so bad, the back of his arms felt melted off, and he couldn't _see_ anything. Voices blurred by him in what felt like hours, and yet.. seconds. He thought he heard someone crying somewhere.

 

Maybe he was in Hell. Perhaps this was his punishment for being such a waste of space: the neverending void of purgatory. It wasn't like there was much good he did. The only saving grace he had was the fact that he helped Chiaotzu, Goku, and his other friends a few times in life.

 

Friends.

 

 _His_ friends.

 

It felt like the smoke still burned through his arms and legs warmly, choking him with an almost gentle sort of pain. It hurt, it did, but this seemed like it was it, after all.

 

'Hell doesn't seem so bad,' Tien thought to himself amidst thoughts of arms, legs, scars, teeth. Conscience wasn't making sense anymore. He was finding it hard to think. Static ruptured his chest, his mind, his soul, the black in his vision somehow going  _deeper_ into his body.

 

Goodnight.

 

Goodnight, world.

 

 

"Goodnight, Tien," Yamcha said.

 

 

Tien immediately woke up, horrifically startled and sitting up in a hospital bed. His conscience flicked on like a lightswitch. No forests, no fires.

 

No Yamcha.

 

What?

  
  
  
  
  



	9. paved with good intentions

"Smoke inhalation, buddy," Roshi said as they walked down the hallways of the hospital, heading for the elevator. 'A miracle the two survived,' doctors had said, but Tien knew full well that a correctly-timed Senzu Bean was precisely what saved him and Chiaotzu. He didn't even spend more than half a day in recovery, mainly just because the nurses were stunned that he went from having his life choked out to being perfectly fine. Such as life, Tien supposed; such as life when you're surrounded by a bunch of death-defying martial artists.

 

"Huh. The fire didn't get to me?" Tien asked, the sound of his footsteps against glass tile mingling with nurses taking reports. "It felt like it melted my skin off."

 

"Oh, it got to you a bit, yeah," Roshi admitted, "but the fire wouldn't have killed you like that smoke did. You blacked out from missin' oxygen, not from the burns."

 

Tien blinked. Interesting. "Didn't know that. Heh. Out of all the things Tao taught me, that wasn't one of them," he commented, glancing to the side with a pitiful grin. Roshi snorted.

 

"Yeah? Well, I didn't know about it either. That one nurse-- purple hair, nice ass, you had to have seen her-- told me a little bit of info while they were gettin' you all IV'd and everything. Of course, I ended up slippin' you a Senzu Bean once they stopped flippin' their metric shit, but yeah," Roshi said, the two of them now arriving towards the elevator. Roshi clicked the down-arrowed button on the metal panel, and they heard metal begin to shift deeply from inside of the building.

 

Tien's mind wandered.

 

Goodnight, Tien. Yamcha had said that from somewhere. He  _ had _ to. His voice was clear as day, still achingly warm like Tien remembered.

 

"Master, Yamcha didn't come home or anything, did he..?" Tien asked quietly, feeling prickles flick down his neck.

 

".. Huh?" Roshi said, glancing at him with confusion. Tien felt anxiety curl in his stomach.

 

"Is Yamcha still missing?"

 

"Yeah, son.. He's still not home yet," Roshi said, still looking at Tien in confusion. "What, did you hear somethin' from somebody..?"

 

Tien frowned. He swore up and down he heard Yamcha say goodnight to him before he nearly died. Where the hell could he have heard it, then..? Was it some way for his heart to jolt him back to life? Was it another horrible, ever-recurring trick in Tien's life that only existed to cause him pain?

 

The electronic elevator bell dinged, and Tien sighed. No point doing anything about it now. "Never mind, Master," he said quietly, walking politely into the now-open elevator door.

 

To the Yamcha in his subconscious, Tien mused, almost raising an unperformed toast to whatever the fuck happened back there. His chest tightened, throat suddenly squeezing into itself.

 

To the Yamcha in his subconscious, in his dreams. 

 

* * *

 

Tien found himself being bombarded with hugs as soon as he walked into Kame House. His face prickled with shy embarrassment, Chiaotzu sobbing 'thank god!' as Krillin began scolding him for the fire incident. Goku just kinda clung onto him, not letting go.

 

"Christ, dude, you and Chiaotzu nearly got smoked out! Don't--.. don't pull that shit again! Got it?!" Krillin yelled, squeezing Tien in a hug so defensive and hard that it almost hurt. Tien chuckled in a wheeze, patting Krillin, Chiaotzu, and Goku on the back reassuringly.

 

"Got the memo," Tien breathlessly giggled, Chiaotzu's face beaming as he pulled away.

 

"I'm happy you're home!" Chiaotzu giggled, Tien smiling genuinely. Smiling felt so.. weird, but nice.

 

"Well, I am, too! Jeesh, you nearly went out with me.." Tien trailed off, a sad smile raised in his cheeks. Chiaotzu 'pff'ed.

 

"Oh, whatever. Don't get all 'big-brother' mode on me, Tien, because I can play that game, too! Watch!" Chiaotzu exclaimed, taking a big breath before immediately yelling one hell of a long run-on sentence, most of it scolding Tien for being stupid, running into smoke, getting himself stuck in fire, yadda yadda yadda. Tien chuckled and flicked Chiaotzu's forehead. "Ouchy!"

 

"I get it, I get it," Tien chuckled, Goku still clinging on without a word. He looked down at him, and Goku didn't look back up. He frowned. "Hey, c'mon, monkeyboy," Tien said, "what's up? Why do you keep hugging me like that?"

 

"You didn't feel good, and then you got hurt, and it makes me sad. I'm not lettin' go 'till you start feeling better."

 

Tien snorted, trying to peel off a very stubbornly clinging Goku. He wouldn't budge.

 

Krillin and Chiaotzu merely watched. He wouldn't move.

 

A minute passed of nothing but silence. No movement.

 

"You're really serious about this, aren't you?" Tien asked, deadpan.

 

"Serious as can be," Goku huffed, squeezing Tien. His tail gently flicked around, obviously amused by the situation no matter what kind of front he pulled. Tien shrugged, smirking.

 

"Well, okay! Time to go lay down!" Tien sighed, moving to the couch and flopping directly on Goku. Goku screeched but fell silent, determined to keep hugging him until Tien 'started feeling better,' apparently. 

 

Tien just laid there for about three minutes, Chiaotzu and Krillin snickering and seeing how long it would take Goku to crack. Goku looked as red as a sack of chili peppers, obviously trying not to complain amidst the weight of a near grown man laying on top of him. Tien snorted, moving off him as Goku gave in, taking a deep breath in and wheezing.

 

"Goku, you're such a weirdo."

 

* * *

 

 

 

Tien was drying himself off after his pre-bedtime shower when his burn-phone started vibrating.

 

Oh.

 

Tien forgot about that.

 

His heart plunged into a bucket of ice as he stood there, slowly clutching his towel. He walked over to the cellphone, gulped, tried to stop his shivering hand as he remembered what he needed to do. He took the phone, clicked the green button, and held the flip-phone up to his ear.

 

"Come alone to: Fukurou Forest, between mile markers: four and five. Inspect area," an artificial voice read. The voicemail ended, just like that, and Tien felt cold. The robotic voice unnerved him, almost as if he'd find the voice somewhere in the depths of his nightmares. Was he expected to just.. kill someone tonight? Was this a meeting? He  _ just  _ got back from the goddamned hospital. Tien kicked himself as he put on some clean clothes, quietly lowering his power level, and leaving through his bedroom window.

 

Fukurou Forest was a peaceful woodland of trees and bushes, with Korin's Tower overlooking it from a distance. The moonless shroud of darkness, however, made the tower look to be nothing more than a straight smudge in the dark distance. Stars poked through the sky like pens. The cool air managed to soothe Tien's anxiety by only a smidgen, but nonetheless, he gratefully accepted the slowdown to his pounding heart.

 

It wasn't the killing he was afraid of. He has killed, wanted to kill, even wanted to kill himself, and it never mattered. Hell, he learned his fighting skills from a goddamned assassin himself! It was never the thought of murder.

 

It was the fear of failure.

 

Failure would lead to the presumed death or torture of all of his friends. He was horrifically lucky that Chiaotzu was Tao's only bargaining chip back as a teenager; if Tao had threatened to kill Yamcha and the others at the threat of his failure, if they were  _ all _ his students, well.. Tien would have probably killed everyone or killed himself. Now  _ this _ group, would they be strong enough to take over Chiaotzu's ESP, or Goku's brute strength? With a bunch of possibly weak humans or hybrids, who knows! But, frankly, it didn't mean anything to Tien. 

 

He didn't want to be the one who makes everyone suffer. 

 

Hasn't he done that enough?

 

Tien sighed, trying to avoid childishly clutching his shoulders in his fear. He wished Yamcha could hold his hand or something, maybe even crack some stupid jokes in the face of fear like he always did. He was good at that, making situations less dangerous than they already were. Jeesh, was the forest really this dark?

 

The darkness only continued to comfort, humor, worry Tien as he continued walking through. Sleepiness managed to crawl into his head like a fog, but he ignored it. He learned ways to keep sharp, just as always, yet.. he found himself drifting off thought-wise. Looking around for anything off, Tien began wondering what it would be like to just.. not come home and let himself starve away in this forest. Maybe he'd become a pretty patch of purple or orange flowers somewhere. Orange always  _ was _ his favorite color.

 

His disappearance, though, would make his master and his friends sad. Chiaotzu would certainly miss him, Tien knew that much, but even so, he still wondered what it would be like to nourish some pretty flowers. The stars peaked above him, and it reminded him of the desert.

 

Maybe that's where Yamcha is. Maybe he's dead, pushing up cacti somewhere. Were the cuts and scrapes of existence too much for him, too..? Why wouldn't he have said anything to him? Yamcha  _ had  _ to have known that they loved him like family at this point.. and obviously, Tien loved him even more so. Why wouldn't he have said anything to  _ him _ , at least? He would have comforted him, loved him, at least gave him a goddamn person to talk to instead of running off the way he did.

 

The question pissed Tien off. He kicked a twig, snapping it roughly in half. 

 

Damn that thief. Damn Yamcha for making him this sad. Most of all, damn himself. 

 

Damn himself for leaving him that night.

 

Suddenly, though, he saw an oddly shaped structure a bit to his left amidst a thick grove. The structure slowly began to appear as a cement staircase that lead underground; the starlight only barely showed the cracks in the cement. Tien stiffened, stood up at a tall six foot two, and covered his feelings and fear with metal.

 

Two energies, both weak. Inhale. Exhale.

 

Go time: a means to an end.

 

* * *

 

Tien was trained by an assassin; of _ course _ he knew how to dispose a body and the things that accompany it. All the stages of decomposition, rigor mortis, skeletonization, the whole nine yards, yet Tien found himself quite fond of merely blasting the bodies apart with ki.

 

Killing Rayne was pretty damned simple. He went down the cement staircase, silent as if no one had come down in the first place. There was a metal-locked door; in a matter of seconds, Tien had kicked it off the hinges, snapped the necks of both Rayne Darek and some other accomplice, and gave himself a moment of pride as the dust settled. The two were apparently playing cards, cigar smoke giving the ceiling of the compound a musty dark brown color. 

 

"Didn't know what hit 'em," Tien said quietly. He glanced around at the state of the area; it was cement, sure, but Tien wasn't positive the area would last if he just blasted ki-charges through the area. He also couldn't just cut up the body and blast the parts, as the whole place would be a bloody damned mess. Tien sighed, rolling his eyes and deciding to destroy all evidence of the compound and the two men's existences.

 

Tien gathered his ki in his hand, a blue ball of heat and death, as he stared Rayne's dead body in the eyes. He wondered how many seconds a person with a snapped neck had to live. Not that it mattered anymore, of course.

 

The body disintegrated entirely under the blast, the heat cracking the cement underneath. Tien shrugged; the place still looked pretty 'normal' even with the cracks on the floor. Rayne's cohort disappeared just as quickly, leaving the horrid smell of burnt flesh, organ, and bone behind. 

 

The fact that he was murdering all because someone told him to was beginning to leave a familiar, disgusting taste in Tien's mouth.

 

By about four in the morning, Tien had managed to destroy the underground bunker in its entirety, the cement entirely gone. His third eye stung with sweat and dirt, noticing the sky lightly increasing in color. He had to get the fuck  _ home,  _ he  _ knew _ Roshi would be suspicious as all hell if he came in a god damn dirty wreck. In a matter of fifteen minutes, Tien was able to level out the uneven square indent of dirt in the ground. His breaths shook, were deep and never were quite enough.

 

He had done the job, killed him quick, easy. 'Born to do it, Shinhan,' Tao had said.

 

God, he was going to hell.

 

* * *

 

"Didn't you shower last night, Tien?" Goku questioned, noticing Tien walking to the bathroom that morning with a towel. His eyes were darkened, and he felt like shit.

 

"No," Tien said, head aching with lack of sleep, "I didn't." He didn't really have the effort to formulate a good lie. Not that Goku really needed one.

 

"Oh," Goku said. "Okay."


	10. INTERMISSION

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ///INTERMISSION///  
> intermissions will be short chapters with additional scenes and may or may not be related to the overall story

* * *

* * *

* * *

 

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner passed as usual with every day that went by. Fires in places across the world continued to roll, and none of the governments from any of the surrounding cities or nations could figure out a reason for it. And, as usual, the dining table continued to have one missing seat that everyone ignored.

  
  
One evening, though, the seat was filled by a very anxious Bulma, and there was no dinner. In fact, it was just her and Roshi sitting at the dining table around one in the morning. Tien somehow ended up at the table, Roshi inviting him in on the discussion.

  
  
"It's been two months, Roshi. Where in all hell do you think he could be?" Bulma said, her tone hushed with fear. Roshi tapped his old, wrinkly knuckles on the table and sighed. The incense on the table rolled and spiraled in weaves of smoke.

 

"Well, it _has_ been months," Roshi said, voice firm against the gentle rocking of waves. Fall was coming, orange everywhere. Tien was afraid he'd see Yamcha's shadows amidst the orange and yellow leaves. Roshi hesitated, repeatedly.

 

".. What are you thinking about?" Bulma said, eyes a worried ocean of blue as Tien felt fear unravel in his stomach.

 

"I think we should look for the Dragon Balls," Roshi said, the implication of his quick speaking not going unnoticed.

 

"What _is it,_ Roshi?" Bulma said, voice loud, defensive, angrier this time.

 

"Y'know, Bulma, I'm beginning to wonder if I was right all along. I'm worried he goddamned killed himself!" Roshi exclaimed, raising his hands in a 'giving up' motion before slamming them back on the table. Bulma froze, paling as she put her hands to her mouth.

 

".. Killed himself," Bulma repeated, all emotions in her voice numb but her expression screaming for help.

 

"Yeah. Tien?" Roshi said exasperatedly, near putting his head in his hands himself.

 

Tien? What did Tien think? Well, what did it matter? Coming to the conclusion of what could have happened to Yamcha doesn't change the fact that it happened. He was beginning to forget what his voice sounded like, and god, was he fucking upset. He kept reeling the answers and possibilities through his mind for weeks and still never knew what to do.

 

He was so tired.

 

"I don't fuckin' know," Tien muttered, slamming his head into his folded arms as he sat. Tien couldn't see it, but knew the two of them stiffened.

 

".. Well, that's pretty fuckin' concerned of 'ya to say, Tien," Bulma said harshly, Roshi trying to shush her.

 

"Bulma, don't start like that," Roshi hissed, Bulma getting up from her chair. It scraped the hardwood.

 

"Well, I mean, fuck, lower it down on the concern there, Crane Student. It's not like anyone else cares about Yamcha going missing or anything," Bulma said, sarcasm pierced like knives in her voice as she moved to the kitchen.  

 

"Bulma, stop!" Roshi hissed louder, begging her to just _pause-_

 

"No, fuck that! He's just gonna say that shit like-"

 

"Let him _explain_ himself!"

 

They fought, Tien arms beginning to shake. He wanted to vomit. Where was his friend? Where was he? What did his voice sound like now? God, why?

 

"-is wrong with him?!" Bulma yelled, life coming back into focus. Tien took an intake of breath.

 

"I loved him, Bulma," Tien said, his throat constricting in on itself.

 

Now everything _really_ went silent.

 

The silence permeated the room like the smoke that rose from the incense stick on the table. Bulma's expression of anger and sorrow quickly changed into shock, her eyes switching from ice to water.

 

Tien couldn't look at Roshi. He couldn't.

 

Tien took another intake of breath.

 

"Do you think I _really_ haven't thought about him the weeks he's been gone? My training partner, my friend, the only guy I've ever fell in love with before?"

 

Roshi and Bulma were quiet.

 

You see, Tien was afraid of many things. Not of his own shadow and not of organs squishing between his fingertips, but things that cracked in between the lines. He was also afraid of Mercenary Tao.

 

When Mercenary Tao saw a _Playgirl_ magazine peaking out underneath a side of Tien's small clothes compartment, he took the magazine and promptly set it out on top of Tien's specifically for everyone to see.

 

He remembered the cold, cold, fear, the shame that rose up to his chest as a group of teenage students-in-training huddled around the random dude porno mag on the compartment. Some students smirked at each other that it was probably 'that chick from 4N who keeps trying to get some,' but Tien knew.

 

Tien knew, and he was afraid.

 

Was he able to hide it? Yes.

 

Was he able to push it to the corners of his battered mindset? Yes.

 

He couldn't, however, push it away when he saw Yamcha in the World Martial Arts Tournament. He knew he couldn't hide it then, and from then on, he swore he would be the one to strike Yamcha down. All he ended up doing, though, was breaking his leg and sobbing about it in his private tournament bedroom. He wasn't even crying necessarily about doing it, no, but the fact that it had come to this. He was the strongest student Tao had, but couldn't even fight against himself?

 

Couldn't even.. let himself have the one happiness he had left?

 

But Tao wasn't here anymore.

 

It was him. Him, Bulma, and Master Roshi.

 

Tien still stared at the blurry image of the table, eyes hidden in his crossed arms.

 

".. Oh," was all Bulma said.

 

Yeah, 'oh.' How the fuck do you think _he_ felt? God, Tien swore that if his shame didn't kill him that he'd do it himself.

 

Roshi sighed. "Hey."

 

Tien stayed silent.

 

".. Tien, buddy, you don't gotta keep this up. Lookie."

 

Tien, body freezing, looked upwards. Roshi's glasses were off, and he moved to place them gently on the table to look at Tien in the eye.

 

"Hey," Roshi said quietly, "it's okay. We understand-- hey, y'know what? Plenty of students that came my way were just the same. It's okay."

 

Tien's heart denied it. Shame. Shame it. There was no safety in this world; Tao made it so. This wouldn't be one of them.

 

Bulma slowly seemed to snap into focus. "Oh-uh- yeah, Tien. Holy shit, I, uh.. I didn't expect that.. but it's not a bad thing. Christ, I think I get it now. Oh, jesus," Bulma muttered under her breath, putting a hand to her forehead before giggling to herself. "Okay, okay.. You loved him. Okay. I get it. Hoo-ee, alright! I think I-.. you're just-.. you're just tired is all. You've.. you've always cared."

 

Tien's eyes rimmed with tears, burning with a pressure between his eyes, before he sat his head back down.

 

Of course he cared. He always did.

* * *

* * *

* * *

 


	11. brown sugar sand

By month six, Bulma began calibrating her Dragon Radar. It always took a month or so to get it set up and all, especially with all the natural disasters changing the shape of the land. Tien, however, wanted nothing to do with it. Searching for the Dragon Balls meant that they might stumble upon Yamcha's corpse along the way. He wasn't ready for that.

 

"Alright, so give me just another minute," Bulma said, tinkering with the radar with a screwdriver and a miniature USB. Tien was sitting on the couch, frowning. He still felt scared of that look she gave back then, the nervous giggles, the oddness of someone loving Yamcha other than her or Launch. He sighed. Take every damned minute, Bulma; it wasn't like there was any certainty that Yamcha could have been waiting for him anyway.

 

"No rush, girl, take it easy," Roshi said, slurping at a cup of instant ramen for a late lunch. Bulma huffed.

 

"Well, we need to start getting ready to _look_ for them!" Bulma impatiently said, adjusting something with her tools, "It's been already about half a damn year! This is ridiculous!"

 

"I know, I know," Roshi said, adjusting his glasses before looking at a newspaper on the table. Tien could hear Chiaotzu floating outside, playing tag with Goku as Krillin floated star-like on the waves. Another lazy winter day, yet Tien still felt thrown off by how warm it was. He was used to seeing snow, blizzards in the training arenas he used to practice in and severe ice-snowball fights by students: _definitely_ not calm waves and summer sunsets.

 

He was also not quite comfortable in his situation involving Kasen.

 

Kasen had called Tien back to Mint Nightclub a handful of weeks back, extremely proud of his work and praising him for his quick, untraceable murder. Tien gulped, throat burning, but accepted the praise with nothing but a curt nod and stiff, responsible composure. She had smiled, taking his burnphone and dropping it on the floor before crushing it harshly underneath her hoove.

 

"You won't need this anymore," she had said, smiling as Tien's head immediately felt like drowning in ice. He did everything she asked! What- what did that _mean?!_ How- "My boss's name is Mildew. She'll be the one who can help you the most in findin' our little buddy. Go to the Gold Industries Insurance Company on the East Side two weeks from now, and tell the receptionist that you're looking for Mildew."

 

Tien's anxiety immediately settled. He memorized his instructions, his third eye whirling as he focused on Kasen. "Alright.. will the receptionist know about.. who I am? What I've done?"

 

Kasen snorted, giving him a look. "What, you think she ain't in on anything either? She's good at finances, both legally and _illegally._ Just do what I say, bud. You'll be fine."

 

Tien had nodded, leaving and feeling empty.

 

For some reason, though, when he went to the 'insurance company' facade half a month later, Mildew was apparently on some 'business meeting' of some sort and would have to reschedule their 'appointment' to around Tuesday of next week. One week became two, then three. Kasen said something about how there was a major argument going on between Mildew and another big-name dealer, and because of that, Tien might have to hold off a bit.

 

So now, Tien would wait. That waiting officially took place training and lazing about Kame House.

 

"Don't even know if I'll _need_ her in the end," Tien grumbled quietly under his breath, chest hurting. He just wanted to get whatever he needed over with.

 

"Finally! Jesus," Bulma said, the Dragon Radar tinkering into life. Tien heard beeps from the Dragon Radar before Bulma huffed a bit. "Alright," she said, pausing for a moment, "it'll probably take a while to calculate all the landmasses. It won't show the Dragon Balls until the year is up, so.. we definitely got time for it to load up."

 

Tien leaned back on the couch. "Does that thing give location names or just coordinates?" he asked, genuinely curious at the odd little gadget.

 

"Coordinates. A Dragon Ball could land in the middle of West City and it'll still shit out some random batch of numbers," Bulma said, moving to her purse in the kitchen and pulling out chapstick. Tien raised his eyebrows and shrugged. Well, alrighty.

 

"Hey, Tien," Roshi said, slurping some more noodles.

 

"Yeah, Master?" Tien said, glancing over the couch.

 

"You wanna head with Chiaotzu and Goku to check out that one forest you and Chiaotzu got yourselves hurt in? It might've grown back a bit since, and Goku wants to see if any helicopter parts are left."

 

Tien blinked. He didn't really mind returning, but.. it certainly was an odd thing for Goku to find interest in.

 

"Jesus, one of _those_ fires?" Bulma said, voice gossipy, "I've been seeing them on the news almost every damn week nowadays. Wonder how long it'll take for the governments to start makin' plans. It almost seems like a terrorist group or some shit."

 

"I know," Krillin commented as he walked into Kame House, drying himself off with a towel. That man could really pick up on conversation. "It's really.. weird," he continued, "Even for how things have been before, it seems off. Should we be worried about that, Roshi?"

 

Roshi shrugged, sipping more noodles from his cup before putting it down. "No clue, guys. I mean.. we _can_ check it out, I suppose, but let's try it after we figure out the whole Yamcha business." Everyone nodded in a gentle hum of affirmation, Tien moving his head back to face the television. "So, Tien, y'gonna go or what?" Roshi asked once more.

 

Tien nodded. "Sure, sir."

 

"Yay!" Chiaotzu chippered, levitating through the house with a pile of laundry, "Master said that we can check out the pastry house in town once we're done, too!"

 

Tien snickered. "You're a sucker for the cheesecake, aren't you?" he said, smirking.

 

"Look, it's good, okay?!" Chiaotzu reasoned loudly as he disappeared into the laundry room. Tien chuckled, shrugging to himself.

 

* * *

 

"Let me see, Master! C'mon!" Goku said, Tien overhearing from his bedroom. The red light from the sunset had spilled through his room, casting everything red as he folded and sorted his clothes.

 

"Well, son, it's not anything too big. It's just a picture of you guys from the World Martial Arts Tournament all that time ago," Tien heard Roshi reply a bit tiredly. He stiffened, getting up and walking out of his room.

 

Chiaotzu was levitating over Master Roshi's shoulder, Goku and Krillin peeking from over both shoulders to see the picture.

 

"Jeesh, Roshi, do you ever age at all?" Krillin sarcastically asked, Roshi huffing and batting him on the back of his bald head. "Ouch! Hey!"

 

Tien snickered and walked over, feet padding on the hardwood as he towered over the others.

 

"Oh, hey, Tien. Take a look at this one," Roshi said, flipping through some old pictures he kept and stopping at the most-recent World Tournament ones. Tien took a look, all desaturated and bright in those summer days. He saw Yamcha there, grinning in the picture. His hair was short, much shorter than it was before he disappeared, and his eyes seemed to be full of that determination Tien had fought against.

 

Fought. Past tense, in a world that was no longer here.

 

"Yamcha's hair was a lot shorter than I remember it being," Tien commented quietly. Roshi glanced at him for a second before looking back to the picture.

 

"Yeah," Roshi commented, "he definitely has a way with his hair. Goes through haircuts and hair-grows like seasons, that boy."

 

Tien remembered. He remembered it all: signing up for the tournament, Chiaotzu's empty, blank stares, the snap of Yamcha's leg as he pressed it harshly against that concrete, it was all burned like stars in the back of his eyelids.

 

He didn't need a picture to remember it. Not anymore.

 

"Too bad we can't see what hairstyle he has right now," Goku commented quietly.

 

No shit, buddy.

 

Everyone sighed and began laughing, tired.

 

* * *

 

 

_"What's the matter with you?!" Yamcha said, running into Tien's room at the dead of night. Tien woke up in a severe cold sweat, body shaking, but.. he didn't know why Yamcha was there._

 

_"..? What?" Tien said, eyes wide and body pale as he trembled in his blankets._

 

_Yamcha looked at him in disbelief. "You were screaming your head off, Tien."_

 

_Tien froze, body filling with shame as he gripped his sheets and curled back into the bed. "I'm sorry," was all that could be said. Tien Shinhan, a grown damned man, screaming over some stupid nightmare from his stupid childhood. What an utter idiot._

 

 _Yamcha, however, didn't leave. He sighed, closing the door behind him as he walked further into Tien's room. He sat on the bed, even though Tien's back was to him, and glanced over at him. "Come on, buddy. You're not gettin' out of this_ **_that_ ** _easy," Yamcha said in that confident little voice of his, but Tien wasn't really feeling it right now. He was quite honestly feeling scared out of his ass that Roshi would beat him for screaming in the night or something. He remained quiet._

 

 _And, to be truthful, what could he have said? What could he have done? Yamcha had_ **_seen_ ** _first-hand what Shen was like. While most nights that Tien had were dreamless, some nights were shadows that threatened to cut him wide open. Some threatened to spill his guts on the hardwood, cut the stomach open, see the digestive acid seep from the wound as Tien would_ **_watch,_ ** _god damn him. And that was it. That was all there was._

 

_And that was all his dream was, too._

 

_Tien didn't realize his breath was hitching harshly until Yamcha put a hand on his shoulder._

 

_Yamcha was frowning, a melancholic understanding sketched on his face. "It's okay, man. It's okay. I get you. You're safe here."_

 

 _Tien's heart kept pounding as his expression was still stone-cold. Did he?_ **_Did_ ** _he get it? Did anyone in this world get it? He knew that he and Chiaotzu did. But that was them, and this was Yamcha._

 

_The man who came to him in the dead of night. He held his shoulder, kept him safe, that voice of his like a lullaby made of black and blue._

 

_Tien closed his eyes._

 

Tien opened.

 

He was in his bedroom. The night had fallen hours ago, house quiet as the waves rolled along. Yamcha would not be here. Yamcha would not be here to soothe his nightmares anymore. No hands, no hugs, no shoulders, no apologies.

 

There would be no second chances.

 

Tien sighed and rolled over.

 

He had once again felt the snap of Yamcha's leg under his foot. He remembered that look Yamcha had, face blinded by unconsciousness and ache, and remembered _smiling_ at it. The memory was lodged in the inside of his skull, plastered somewhere near his eyes, and he hated it.

 

What would he even say to Yamcha if they found him?

 

The months had come and gone like the sea level, Kame House still standing after bouts of insistent heat, typhoons, and more than one kamehameha-induced tsunami. Goku had spent nights crying into his pillow, Krillin had many arguments with himself in the shower as to what he did wrong, and Roshi had often sat at the kitchen island alone.

 

It had been one hundred and eighty three days since Yamcha never came out of his bedroom that morning. Everyone still felt it and couldn't breathe right since.

 

"If I saw you," Tien whispered to no one, that ever-familiar cold ball knotting in his stomach once more, "I'd probably ask if you were okay."

 

If he was honest, Tien would probably have ran away instead.

 

The sea outside his bedroom window lapped the shore, as insistent as always.

 

Tien got out of bed, wordless as the house he was in, and silently walked out of his room. The house was silent, Roshi's snoring audible from upstairs. In that cold-feeling room, even in the warmth of the island, Tien felt a resounding ache ring through him.

 

It rang, kept ringing, and wouldn't stop vibrating in his ears until he walked through the front door and silently shut it behind him.

 

He really _didn't_ know what he'd do if they even _found_ Yamcha.

 

He sat on the beach, the sky a pure void-black. Cloud cover, if he had to guess. The wind brought the familiar smell of salt to him as he sat on the shoreline, the wet, brown sand clumping under his legs. "It really takes something odd to feel how the Earth moves, and just how easily it would move without you."

 

Tien didn't realize it was his voice speaking until he felt his lips stop moving.

 

He lowered his head, closed his eyes, and pressed his hand into the sand.

 

What was he going to do? Against that star-panel of fate, what was he going to do?


	12. such a bad feeling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so sorry for the lack of updates, guys. this ain't dead!

"Multiple people trapped in the Penna Incorporated building! Unknown explosion, _major_ fire! 10-60, entering eleventh floor, elevator's down and reports of victims trapped on top floor twenty-three!" Poppy Elza said, wiping sweat off of her forehead as the heat rose in the stairwell.

 

"Ten-four, Poppy," Catch said over the radio, Poppy nodding to no one as she continued her climb.

 

This was the first time that the fires had actually hit a god damn building. They kept getting closer and closer to the fuckin' outskirts of West City, and now West City Parliament fuckin' dropped the ball. Damn it, she _knew_ this was going to happen. It was a fucking _terrorist_ group that was doing this. Global warming be damned, how many fires have to happen in a three month period for people to suspect something's wrong?

 

"Poppy, I'm hearin' a dull kinda sound!" her teammate, Elias, said from behind her. Poppy cursed, continuing forward. If _Elias_ heard something from this low in the building, it was _bound_ to be a god damn crippling fire.

 

"Alright, El. Let's just keep moving," Poppy said gruffly as people from floors above kept rushing down the stairwell, some crying and stumbling. Poppy wanted to be sick for a second.

 

* * *

 

Floor twenty-two was pitch black with smoke and fumes, the horrific roar of fire and agony reflecting off of the shadow of Poppy's eyes. Corpses, burnt to unrecognization, laid across the floor in disfigured poses. The small corpse of someone holding a doll was crumpled by a computer desk, a leg melted off.

 

"Oh, _god,"_ someone from behind her said into their headset, her voice trembling as she peered in front of Poppy.

 

"We have at least ten 10-45 Code One's, we sent down four Code Two's from floor twenty-one," Poppy said into her microphone, voice shaking, "and- and we're attempting to attack the fire from here! _Battalion Twelve to Battalion Five!"_

 

"Battalion five," Catch said over his microphone, the vivid sound of sirens from his end piercing through Poppy's headset. Suddenly, though, someone cut through the smoke from the ceiling. Fire ran through the open space-- Poppy getting a look.

 

It was a fucking _civilian?!_

 

"Oh my fucking-- We have a civilian that just fucking burst through the roof! I don't--" Poppy started, the civilian standing up harshly amidst the fire and suddenly moving towards them quickly. She screamed, the fear of the whole situation causing her to lose her grip on her firehose. The civilian, who now seemed to be a tall, bald man in the smoke held a hand out to her in an attempt to calm her.

 

"My name is Tien Shinhan," the man yelled firmly through the smoke as he coughed, "and I'm here to help rescue with some of my friends!"

 

"What the holy fuck is going on?" Elias said over the headset, Poppy's head climbing with frustration.

 

"This is fuckin' _unsafe!_ You need to get out before the building collapses or you burn up!" Poppy yelled through her mask, immediately moving to grab the man but found that he slipped away from her hold. The man wiped off his sweaty forehead, ash and smoke beginning to cover Poppy's senses with a severe roar as he disappeared.

 

"Poppy, Bulma Briefs had her civilian team out to come assist," Catch spoke. "Just keep moving! Attack the fire, leave the victims to Bulma's team!"

 

"They're not fucking properly _trained!_ What the fuck is she _thinking--_ they don't even have _suits or masks!"_ Poppy screamed off-mic, furious albeit continuing and blasting the fire off where she could. She tried ignoring the urge to vomit at seeing the burnt, distorted faces of once-living bodies.

 

"Just move on, Pops! There might be survivors on twenty-three!" Elias called out.

 

But then the room seemed to move.

 

And then the room seemed to _roar._

 

The floor dropped. Over the radio, over the hearing, the smoke,

 

Poppy Elza and her battalion heard the cry of Hell ring as the building fell from the weight of floor twenty-three.

 

* * *

 

"Is everyone alright?" Poppy heard someone say in the haze of light and sound, finding her consciousness staggering behind her.

  
"Yeah," someone responded, "everyone who was alive made it out."

 

Poppy tried opening her eyes, the light burning. It took her quite a few seconds to focus on the world around her, but _somehow_ she managed to make it work. Bulma's team-- maybe three, four people at best-- were utterly covered with soot and dust but were still walking around fine. Ambulances were crying out their sirens, many coming and going near one side of the building. The sky-- the one she thought she'd never see again, was a hot summer's blue.

 

"God, hey!" Poppy caught Elias saying to her, Poppy turning to the voice. Elias was fine, his voice a little shaky.

 

"Hey," Poppy said, faintly grinning, "nice to see we made it."

 

Elias smiled, about to say something before a very feminine voice cut through their hearing.

 

* * *

 

"God, I thought I was too late," Bulma said, wiping her sweaty forehead as she left the passenger side of her Capsule Corps-insured vehicle. "Are you guys alright?"

 

"All fine. Building about knocked out the firemen in there," Tien commented, eyes clouded with weariness. The smoke wasn't good for his eyesight, nor his lungs-- been there, done that.

 

"Jesus," Bulma commented, looking at the heaping mass of smoke and building behind them. The fire was taken care of, but.. "How many casualties?"

 

Roshi, who had assisted in the rescue, sighed. "About twenty people, most of them workers. Handful of kindergartners from Alter's Grove Elementary were.. were lost," he said, voice hard. Bulma's eyes widened.

 

"No fucking shit," she said, incredulous as Krillin wiped at an eye.

 

"Did the best we could, Bulma," Krillin said, voice heaving a little as he spoke. "They were gone before we showed up."

 

Bulma covered her eyes with her hand, breathing heavy. When she pulled her hand away, her eyes were red and puffy. She stared at the fuming mass of building.

 

Goku frowned, sitting on the asphalt as he picked at his clothes. He wouldn't stop looking away from a few pieces of gravel. "I don't wanna be here anymore," he said quietly, eyebrows furrowed.

 

"We gotta stay here to answer some questions about the building, buddy," Krillin said, eyes weary. "Buildings don't just explode for no reason."

 

"They won't think _we_ did it, will they?" Goku asked, his voice slowly becoming lined with fear. Roshi chuckled and shook his head sadly.

 

"No, Goku. Hell, the police force called _us_ in to help. They knew we weren't even _near_ the fire when it started," Roshi said, Goku slowly nodding in understanding. He didn't wanna get hurt, was all.

 

Bulma sighed. "Y'know, if you guys just wanna go, you can. I can handle all the legal shit-- and I know the firemen have cams on them; they'd see what you guys were doin', anyway. This... this is beyond what you guys need to deal with," she said, her glance flicking from the firemen talking and then to the group of martial artists.

 

"You sure?" Krillin said, Tien finding himself nodding. He didn't know much about the legal system, but.. he didn't want to get anyone in trouble. Bulma smiled at them, her blue eyes shining in the late afternoon light.

 

"Hey, _who's_ the heir to a million-dollar company? I know my fair share of legalese, shorty. Now, go on, get some dinner. Take a nap, buy some ice cream, I don't know-- just take it easy," Bulma said, smiling gently and waving them off. Goku stood up, his nose crinkling from the acrid smell of smoke and fumes, Krillin following.

 

"Well, that settles it, boys. Let's get goin'," Roshi said, instructing his students to get up. As they all began levitating-- some people gawking at the sight,-- Goku waved to Bulma.

 

"See you later, guys! Thanks for the help!" she called out into the afternoon, Goku's smile growing wide.

 

"Bye!" Goku called, the others following his farewell.

 

They blasted off, _still_ unable to shake off the acidic crunch of smoke in their throats.

 

* * *

 

"If I'm counting correctly, this would have been the _seventy second_ fire that's happened in the past.. eleven months," Roshi commented, looking down at the piece of paper he's been calculating on. Tien whistled.

 

"That's.. that's pretty damn bad," Tien admitted, Chiaotzu nodding as they both sat on the couch.

 

"I got a feeling it wont stop here, either," Roshi said, tapping on his glasses with his pencil.

 

Bulma frowned, leaning back against the kitchen island. ".. We only have one month left until we can use the Dragon Balls."

 

There was a statement left unsaid in this;

 

do they use the Dragon Balls on Yamcha,

 

or the forest fires?

 

"Yamcha, first," Krillin said firmly, eyes pierced as he caught the unsaid question. "I've missed my buddy for nearly a solid year, now. I wanna know where _he_ is, first."

 

Roshi sighed, scratching his head. ".. I agree that we.. we should figure out Yamcha first."

 

"Are you sure..?" Bulma asked worriedly, eyebrows furrowed in concern. These fires were nothing to scoff at, and everyone was counting for the day where it got _worse_ somehow.

 

"We can fight bad guys. We can't fight someone's disappearance," Roshi reasoned, Krillin nodding firmly. Goku, who was sitting on the living room floor, picked at his lip.

 

Tien closed his eyes, Chiaotzu moving to lay on Tien a little.

 

He was getting better at coping with Yamcha's disappearance-- but it didn't mean he was okay with it.

 

He still wanted-- _needed--_ to know just what happened.

 

Even if he _was_ dead and gone,

 

it was better than never knowing at all.

 

"Well," Roshi said, voice firm, "we have about, oh.. twenty-nine days until the Dragon Balls'll show up. When they do, we'll get Yamcha back. _Then_ we'll worry on the fires. Plan?"

 

"Plan," everyone responded, Tien leaning back against the couch.

 

Twenty nine days until Yamcha was home.

  
  


He had a bad feeling.


End file.
